


A Boyfriend for Christmas

by CrowleyLovesUSUK



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: A little angst, Blowjobs, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Breakup, Christmas, Desperation, F/M, Fluff, Holidays, M/M, The RusAme isn't long, There is also Rochu in this work, There is rusAme in this at the beginning and a little near the end, but it is important, hired date, mutual favors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-05 05:57:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 35,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12788508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrowleyLovesUSUK/pseuds/CrowleyLovesUSUK
Summary: Recently dumped three weeks before Christmas, Alfred Jones is in a bit of a pickle.  His family, who thinks he can't hold on to a man, is expecting his boyfriend Ivan.  With no other ideas, Alfred takes the advice of a friend and hires a date for the holidays.  Arthur Kirkland is in a jam of his own.  He needs a new place for himself and his new cat to live--pronto!  When he sees Alfred's ad, he jumps at the chance for a Christmas miracle.  However, will this fake relationship turn into something real with the help of a little holiday magic?





	1. Best Laid Plans

**Author's Note:**

> A new story in time for the holidays. This is basically like a Hallmark Christmas movie. A cheesy, made for TV holiday flick...all fluffy and pointless and predictable and I really don't care. I still love it. I always want some fluffy nonsense this time of year.
> 
> As always, I do not own the Hetalia characters. Because if I did, then obviously USUK would be total canon.
> 
> WARNING: There are mentions in this story of RusAme. Alfred is dating Ivan at the beginning but don't despair, it won't last long and he'll be with Arthur soon enough. Just a warning in case RusAme freaks you out or something.

**Chapter One: Best Laid Plans**

The restaurant was beautifully decorated for the season. Twinkling lights adorned all of the potted plants and holly was interspersed with tasteful ornaments on the garland above the large central fireplace. Alfred bounced a little on his feet as they waited at the hostess station. He glanced around the room and smiled to himself. Tonight was absolutely perfect. It was festive, and romantic and everything that he had hoped for. Ivan stood next to him, loosely gripping his hand in his own wool-gloved palm.

"Reservation for Braginsky," came the rumbling deeply accented voice from his boyfriend. Alfred smiled and looked over at his lover, squeezing his fingers lightly.

"Right this way sir," the young hostess waved her hand and gathered two menus up into her arms. She led them through the restaurant, weaving them between other couples who were already seated and looking happy as they shared in this lovely holiday evening.

They were seated at a small table for two near the back and Ivan pulled out Alfred's chair for him. The American man felt his face colour in a blush as he took his seat. As they sank into their respective chairs, Alfred took the cloth napkin off of the table and began to unfold it, all the while sneaking glances at his Russian lover. Ivan was busy looking over the menu and paid him no mind.

"What do you think you will have?" Ivan asked, not looking up.

"I'm not sure," Alfred said. He glanced at the menu but couldn't seem to read anything. This was it, he was sure of it. This was the night that Ivan was finally going to propose. Alfred knew that his boyfriend had been in a very important meeting all day, and that despite the fact that he was tired, he insisted on them going out for a fancy dinner. Alfred was certain. This was the night. He fidgeted a little in his seat.

A man came by and filled their water glasses. Alfred felt parched so he grasped his glass quickly and took a long swig. He watched Ivan over the top of his glass and felt his heart flutter. Ivan stared intently at the menu and muttered something under his breath in Russian. Glancing up, the taller man met Alfred's blue eyes and narrowed his own. "Is something the matter?" He asked in his crisp accent.

Alfred shook his head fervently. "No, nothing. Just…thirsty."

Ivan nodded and folded the menu, setting it down next to his plate. "Alfred," he began. "There is something I wish to discuss with you tonight."

This was it. Alfred sat up straighter in his chair. This was the moment. "Of course," he said, trying not to let on how nervous he was.

"I had a meeting today, you know," Ivan reached for his water glass and took a deep sip. "It was very important."

"Was it?" Alfred nodded.

"Yes," Ivan lowered his head. "The bank is offering me a position back in Moscow."

Alfred cocked his head, confused. Moscow? What did that have to do with them getting married? He simply stayed quiet, which went against everything in him, and nodded.

Ivan continued. "It is a very prestigious position. It would allow me enough money to bring my family here, to the United States."

Alfred nodded fast. "That's great, I'd love to meet your sisters."

Ivan was quiet for a moment. He set his water glass down with a loud thunk and looked directly into Alfred's eyes. "I would be out of the country for a few years."

It finally sunk in for the bright-eyed American. "Oh," was all he managed.

"So you can see how this is the best course of action," Ivan gestured with his large palm. "This was not going to work out anyway."

"Wait," Alfred shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs in his brain. "What do you mean, this wasn't going to work out? You…Are you breaking up with me?"

"I do not enjoy such crude terms," Ivan said.

Alfred shook his head again and looked over at the fireplace in the center of the room. The flames were high and bright and looked so very welcoming. "You're breaking up with me?"

"In a matter of speaking," Ivan said. "I do not think that it would be for the best if we continue to see each other at this time. I will be gone for a few years. You should not have to wait for me."

"What if I want to wait for you," Alfred said, his eyes beginning to fill with tears. How could this all have went so wrong? He was supposed to be getting engaged tonight. He was sure that Ivan was going to ask him. What had happened?

"I do not wish you to," Ivan said, reaching out a hand for Alfred's.

Alfred pulled his fingers away and pressed them against his chest. "I can't believe this," he whispered.

"I think it is for the best," Ivan said softly. "Now, let us order and finish our meal."

Alfred could feel his body moving but he couldn't seem to stop himself. He heard the scrape of the chair against the stone floor as he pushed his seat back away from the table. "If you think I'm going to sit here and eat with you after you've just _dumped_ me three weeks before Christmas, you've got another think coming!" He felt himself stand and he could feel his fist clenched at his sides. "This is bullshit Ivan! We were supposed to be getting married!"

"What makes you think that?" the Russian man looked up at him quizzically.

Alfred could feel the eyes of the other restaurant patrons on him and he crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at his now ex-boyfriend. "Because we loved each other…I thought. I thought we were in love. And you do _this_ to me!"

"You were an amusing way to pass the time," Ivan looked at his nails and wouldn't meet Alfred's burning blue eyes. "That is all."

"Fine," Alfred spat. "Fine then. I wouldn't want to marry you anyway!"

He shoved his chair back under the table and turned and stalked away with his back straight and as much dignity as he could muster. What had happened to them? He had truly thought that Ivan loved him. Obviously he was wrong. Alfred buttoned his coat and exited the restaurant, slamming the door behind him with a loud crack. He stood on the sidewalk for a moment and shivered against the cold. He could feel the tears burning in his eyes.

There was a taxi idling at the curb and Alfred stomped over to it without thinking, and threw the door open, sliding into the back seat. He gave the driver the address to his apartment and felt a rush of gratitude that he had never moved in with Ivan. He could at least go home and have some peace.

As they drove through the darkened snow-covered streets, Alfred finally allowed a few tears to fall from his eyes. He gazed out the window and silently shook with sobs. He tried to wipe away the tears with the back of his gloved hand but they just continued to fall. Once the driver had dropped him off at home and he had trudged up to his front door, Alfred let the tears fall in earnest. He was sobbing as he unlocked his front door. Closing the door behind him, he leaned against it, the tears falling freely from his eyes and loud, choking sobs coming from his mouth. He glanced up at the room in front of him. The kitchen. He saw the calendar on the wall depicting the days and his eyes widened in horror. Three weeks until Christmas!

He was expected at his parent's house for the holiday this year. And Ivan was expected too. Every year, Alfred always showed up alone and his parents and brother were getting irritating in their teasing and jesting about him growing up to be a confirmed bachelor. They always said he was too focused on work to ever meet anyone. He was actually looking forward to this year because he was going to be bringing Ivan to prove that he could find someone to love him. Oh, this was a disaster!

Alfred sank to the floor, his back to his front door, and let out a gasp. What was he going to do? He had to think of something. He couldn't just call his parents and say that he and Ivan had broken up. They would accuse him of making the entire relationship up in his head. They always said that they wouldn't believe that Ivan existed until they met him.

Placing his head in his hands, Alfred groaned and rubbed his eyes. He wiped absently at the line of tears streaking down his cheeks. He had no idea how things had gone so wrong. He was certain that Ivan was going to propose to him and instead his hulking Russian boyfriend had gone and broken up with him! Alfred let his head sink to his knees. He hiccupped once and then angrily stood up, stalking his way further into his apartment.

When he reached his bedroom, he pulled off his suit jacket and threw it on the floor in a fit of petulant anger. He finished undressing and fell into his too empty bed, naked. Curling up into a ball, Alfred hugged his pillow and cried himself to sleep.

* * *

The next morning brought with it more tears in the hot shower as Alfred let the water cascade over his body in preparation for the day. He didn't know what he was going to do. Everything in his life was falling apart because his boyfriend was an asshole. No. His _ex-boyfriend._ Alfred shook water out of his eyes and willed himself to stop crying. He couldn't show up to work with a puffy face. Everyone would know and they would take pity on him which would be almost as unbearable as getting dumped before the holidays.

Toweling off and risking a glance at himself in the mirror, Alfred sighed when he realized that his nose was about two sizes bigger and his eyes were rimmed in red. He wasn't going to be fooling anyone. Brushing a few fingers across his cheek, he decided to skip shaving this morning. He already looked like hell, so why bother?

Ambling around his bedroom with a towel tied low around his waist, he absently made his bed and began to pick out clothes from his closet. Most of his shirts reminded him of Ivan. They had either been gifts, or the Russian man had helped him pick them out. Alfred was somewhat lost when it came to fashion and all of his friends had noticed how he had changed his style of dress while dating Ivan.

Luckily, the law firm he worked at didn't have a very strict dress code, especially on a day when Alfred wouldn't be meeting with clients. He had taken the day off because he had assumed he would be spending it in bed celebrating with his new fiancée. Unfortunately, Alfred didn't have much in his place to distract him and was opting to go in to work and catch up on a few things. He didn't have anything better to do anyway, and he wasn't about to mope around his apartment eating ice cream and watching soap operas like he did when Kiku had left him. He didn't need the extra five pounds that pity fest had brought him.

Pulling on a pair of tight, dark jeans and yanking one of his old t-shirts over his head, Alfred tried to smile at himself in the mirror above his dresser. He hadn't worn a t-shirt in almost two years. Ivan wanted him to look the part of the successful lawyer, even if it wasn't really Alfred's taste. He had changed so much about himself to please his boyfriend. All his boyfriends.

Alfred had a bitter taste in his mouth as he got into his car and began his drive to the office. Looking back on all of his past relationships, he realized that _he_ had always been the one to change, the one to bend. He changed his clothes, his laugh, his hobbies, all for love. And one by one, each man had left him. Usually saying he wasn't anything more than a good time, like Ivan had; or siting the fact that he "just wasn't what they were looking for." It was always _Alfred's_ fault that the relationships ended, at least that's what all his previous lover's had claimed. It was exhausting to change who you fundamentally were in order to get someone to go out with you. Alfred was sick and tired of it. He was done. From here on out, he vowed as he cruised ten miles over the speed limit, he was going to be himself and look out for himself. No more changing for the idea of love. Because it never really _was_ love, was it?

Not paying much mind as he pulled into his assigned parking spot at work, he took the turn into the space a little bit wide and suddenly he felt his bumper connect with the car parked next to him. Of course. As if this week could get any worse. Alfred grimaced and backed up, slightly angling his car into his space properly before he got out to inspect the damage.

The rusting green hatchback that he had hit looked to have dozens of dents and marks along the bumper and Alfred was sure he hadn't caused them all, so he breathed a sigh of relief. That is, until the driver's side door of the car opened and a short, trim blonde man heaved himself out and glared through the window at Alfred. The man's eyes were a brilliant green and they narrowed in anger as he pointed at the bumper of his car. Alfred tried not to roll his eyes as he exited his own Lexus and joined the smaller man standing in the parking lot.

"Sorry," Alfred said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I'm really sorry. I was a little distracted."

"That doesn't excuse you, does it?" the other man's voice barked out in a sharp British accent.

Alfred's eyes widened. He was a sucker for accents, which explained why he mostly dated foreign boys. He'd never dated an English man before though, despite the fact that it was by far his favourite dialect. "I'm really sorry," he repeated.

"I'm going to need your insurance," the man snapped.

Numbly Alfred nodded. He went back to his car to begin digging his paperwork out of the glovebox, all the while listening to the handsome English stranger bemoan how Alfred should pay more attention to what he was doing. Despite the fact that Alfred's car was worth an incredible amount more than the stranger's rusty hunk of junk, Alfred wasn't even concerned as to the condition of his own bumper. His mind was too full of thoughts. The stranger was hot. But he shouldn't be thinking that at all—what would Ivan say?

_'Wait,'_ Alfred thought as he rifled through papers. _'Who cares what Ivan would say? They weren't together anymore!'_ Alfred felt his eyes fill up a bit and began to blink rapidly to avoid tears falling.

The Englishman had quieted down with his lecture and was watching Alfred closely as the young lawyer emerged from his car. "Look chap," he said gesturing at his bumper. "It's not that big of a deal really? We're both fine, there's no need to cry over it."

"I'm not crying," Alfred said gruffly as he shoved a piece of paper with his insurance information on it at the other man. "I'm having a bad week."

"Me too," the Englishman said softly.

"I thought my boyfriend was going to propose last night and instead he broke up with me. In public. Three weeks before Christmas."

"I'm sorry," the other man blinked slowly and looked genuinely sad at Alfred's tale.

"I was just kind of thinking about how I screw up every relationship I'm in and how it's always my fault and I wasn't really paying attention. I know, I know," Alfred waved a hand. "It's no excuse. But I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it," the other man responded. He held out a pale hand tentatively. "I'm Arthur. Arthur Kirkland."

"Alfred Jones." They shook. Arthur's grip was surprisingly firm.

"Your week can't be much better by the fact that you're in a law office parking lot," Arthur attempted a smile.

"Huh?" Alfred tilted his head.

"You're coming to see a lawyer," Arthur gestured toward the building behind them. "That can't make for a good week, on top of the break up."

"Oh," Alfred said, the other man's words dawning on him. "No, I work here."

"Dressed like that?" Arthur raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Yeah," Alfred gave a small smile. "It's supposed to be my day off but I thought I'd come in and do some paperwork to keep my mind off of things."

"That makes sense." Arthur glanced down at Alfred's insurance card in his hand and shook his head. He held the paper back out to Alfred and said, "Doesn't really seem to be a reason for this. My car isn't exactly a work of art, as you can see. Let's just forget about it."

"Really?" Alfred's eyes lit up with hope.

"Yes, quite." Arthur nodded briskly. "You're having a bad enough week as it is."

"Thanks man," Alfred said with a true smile. "Really, you have no idea how great this is."

"No problem," Arthur said, turning back toward his car. "Just watch where you're going, okay?"

"Will do."

The two men shared a small smile and turned away from one another. Arthur re-entering his car and Alfred spinning on his heel and heading into the law office. As they parted ways, it began to snow.

* * *

Arthur Kirkland tucked himself back in his car and watched the large flakes fall down, hitting his windshield and melting on impact. He tried to push the image of the handsome man who had hit his car out of his mind. He looked down at the papers he had placed on his lap once more and grunted. This holiday season was going to be a nightmare. He didn't know what he was going to do. He had spent the morning speaking with a lawyer about what he should do to keep his apartment but the man had basically told him to give up and find a new place to live. Arthur glared out the window at nothing. He had one week to find new lodgings because of his awful landlord. How was he supposed to know that he could be evicted over a cat? This was absolutely ridiculous.

The previous day he had been busy at home when a knock came at the front door. He had patted the cat he had rescued from the dumpster out back a few days earlier and went to answer. It had been his landlord saying that another tenant had brought to his attention that Arthur was keeping a pet and that it was against the rules. The large, smelly man had given Arthur a week to pack his things and leave. Arthur had spent all that night pouring over his lease agreement to find anything in it pertaining to pets and there had been nothing. It seemed to be a 'rule' that the landlord had just made up.

Unfortunately, according to the lawyer he had spoken with today, it looked as though Arthur didn't have a choice but to move. He couldn't very well turn the cat out into the street and taking it to a shelter was out of the question. Arthur had become rather attached to the small creature over the last few days. He was going to have to find a new place to live. And fast.

Turning over the engine of his car, Arthur backed his trusty vehicle out of the space and drove off in the direction of his apartment. The entire way, he thought about what he was going to do, but he kept getting distracted by remembering the beautiful, bright blue eyes of the man who had hit his car. He didn't have time for daydreaming now. Arthur shook his head and tried to concentrate on the problems he had right in front of him.

* * *

Alfred spent the day hiding in his office with the door closed and pretending to fill out paperwork for one of his upcoming cases. He wasn't getting much work done. He kept thinking about Ivan, and strangely enough, he was also thinking about Arthur Kirkland. He hadn't been so immediately attracted to someone in a long time. He knew that nothing would come of it though. He would never see the handsome British man again, most likely.

Leaning back in his rolling desk chair, Alfred glanced out the window at the snow falling outside. It was beginning to collect in the trees, but not on the road, which was good. Alfred hated driving in the snow. Especially in his Lexus. The car didn't have the best handling in weather. He remembered when he had first graduated from law school and would tool around in a big red pickup truck. His ex, Kiku had hated the truck and convinced him that it was more acceptable for him to drive a Lexus. So had had caved and bought the expensive car. He hated it. That line of thinking brought him back around to the previous evening and how Ivan had told him that he was just 'an amusing way to pass the time.' Alfred's face burned with anger. He had begun moving on from the sad phase of his grieving to the angry part.

A knock on his door startled him out of his reverie and he said, "Come in." The door opened to reveal his paralegal standing in the doorway holding a stack of papers. Natalia was a bright and striking young woman who had joined the firm only a year earlier. Alfred had snapped her up immediately to work with him and they had become something of friends in the time since Natalia had started there.

"The Vargas case looks as though it's a little more complicated than originally thought," she said, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind her. "I know you're not really here today, but I think Ludwig could use some help with it, especially since it's his brother-in-law."

Alfred tried to smile, "Yeah, I had a feeling it was going to get complicated, what's the problem?"

Natalia snorted in a very un-ladylike fashion. "Apparently they don't want to get divorced anymore, but they still want to split up the assets officially in case they decide to go forward with a divorce in the future. Ludwig looks like he might punch one of them."

Alfred did laugh at that. "Shocker. No worries, Nat. Just give me the papers and I'll look through them."

"Thank you," she hefted the pile of folders onto his desk and turned to leave. After a moment of hesitation, she turned back to face Alfred. She gracefully lowered herself into one of the client chairs and looked hard at him. "What's wrong with you?"

"What? Nothing." Alfred insisted.

"Your face is puffy, and your eyes are red like you've been crying," she pointed out bluntly. "And I saw you hit a parked car in the lot when you came in. You're usually not such a careless driver." Alfred lowered his eyes and looked down at his desk. He mumbled something unintelligible and Natalia leaned forward, cupping her hand to her ear. "What was that?"

"I said Ivan and I broke up," Alfred practically whispered.

"What!" she exclaimed. "But I thought you said yesterday he was going to propose!"

"Yeah, well he didn't." Alfred snapped.

"Obviously," Natalia looked at him with sympathy. "What happened? Do I need to kick his ass?"

"He's three times your size," Alfred pointed out. But it felt good to know that someone had his back. "It's nothing. He got a job offer to go to Moscow and it pays well and would be better for him in the long run. He didn't think we should wait for each other."

"So he dumped you?"

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me."

Natalia waved her hand airly. "So go out and meet someone and get laid. You'll get over him fast enough. I always thought you were too good for him anyway. He never spoke to anyone at firm functions, he just stood in the corner like a freak. You're better off."

"Yeah, yeah," Alfred said glumly. "Then why doesn't it feel like I'm better off. Do you have any idea how much I'm screwed?"

"Why are you screwed?"

"Because Christmas is in three weeks and my family is expecting me to show up with my boyfriend," Alfred threw up his hands. "They've been pressuring me for months to meet Ivan and now I have nothing to show for the last two years of my life."

"Don't be a drama queen," Natalia chastised. "You are a successful divorce lawyer who graduated top of your class from Stanford. You have lots to show for your life. Who cares if you have a boyfriend to bring home for the holidays?"

"Um," Alfred said, looking at his paralegal as though she were daft. "My parents. They care. A lot!"

"So bring someone," Natalia shrugged. "It's not that hard."

"You offering?" Alfred grinned.

"No," Natalia laughed at him. "I think your parents would be suspicious of your gay ass bringing a lady home with you. Just find a guy and bring him with. Don't you have friends?"

"They all have families of their own to go home to for the season," Alfred pointed out.

"Then hire someone."

"What?"

Natalia rolled her eyes and snorted. "Hire someone. Put an ad online that you want a fake boyfriend for the holidays and pay some cute boy to go with you to your parent's house and pretend to love you. It's not hard. My sister did it a few years ago. Of course it was quite obvious but it let her save face in front of my father."

"Seriously?" Alfred raised an eyebrow. "I'm not just going to hire some stranger to pretend to be my boyfriend."

"Whatever," Natalia stood up and brushed her skirt off. "Think about it. What choice do you really have?" She spun around and walked to the door. Before she left, she looked deeply at Alfred and said, "I'm really sorry Al. Let me know if you want to go out and get wasted. I'll wing-man you."

"Thanks Nat," Alfred said. He watched her shut the door behind her and looked down at the files on his desk. Hire someone? No way. There was no way he would stoop that low.


	2. What Choice do I Have?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy American Thanksgiving! I am thankful for yaoi and USUK!
> 
> I also forgot to mention in the last chapter's notes that Natalia is Belarus. Whoops!

**Chapter Two: What Choice Do I Have?**

Arthur placed a stack of books into a small cardboard box and then taped it closed. The cat he had rescued was snoozing on the chair in the corner and he glanced over at it fondly. He really needed to give the creature a name if they were going to be permanent roommates. He gathered up the box and began the arduous journey out to his car. The snow made the walkway from his apartment quite slippery and he almost fell twice before securing the box of books in the back. He stopped for a moment as he made his way back to his door and looked up at the sky. The grey, overcast view above him made him think that more snow was on the way and that would make packing and moving difficult. Of course, he still had to find a place to live.

Entering his flat, he went to the kitchen and turned on his electric tea kettle. As the pot began to bubble merrily, he booted up his laptop and opened a site for the local area. He scrolled through a few posts looking to see if anyone had a place for rent. Nothing seemed to pop up immediately and out of boredom he went to the area of the page for personal ads. Maybe a random hookup would make his day a little better. He realized that he hadn't been laid in a few months and that was rather upsetting to the Englishman. He was usually quite popular with the gentlemen.

Aimlessly looking at the open browser on his computer he felt the cat bump his ankle and looked down affectionately. He reached toward the floor and hefted the feline into his lap. He was rewarded with a loud purring sound which made him smile. Even without sex, he was still happy despite the situation. Something would come up and everything was going to be okay. After all, it was Christmas time, and wasn't that the best time of the year to hope for a miracle?

* * *

When Alfred arrived at home, he locked his door behind him and grabbed a beer from the fridge. Kicking off his shoes, he took a long swig from the bottle and looked around his space. It seemed so cold and empty. He had redecorated to Ivan's tastes, despite the fact that the Russian man didn't live there, and it was all chrome and modern art—and Alfred hated it. He went to his hallway closet and rummaged around until he found a pile of framed posters in the back. They were all movie posters, mostly of superhero and action films. He pulled out a few of them and set them on the floor, leaning against random walls of his living room. Ivan had hated them when they first started dating and insisted that Alfred take them down and give them to Goodwill. Alfred had removed them, but he'd secretly kept them the past two years. Now he knew why. Just the act of placing them in his space made him feel a little rebellious and much better about his situation.

Letting a small sigh escape his lips, he collapsed on the couch and took another drink of beer. The bottle was empty so he went to get another one, and another after that. All the while he kept thinking about Natalia's suggestion that he hire someone. He supposed that she was right. He really didn't have a choice. Three weeks wasn't enough time to start dating someone and bringing a new boyfriend home for the holidays after such a whirlwind courtship was practically out of the question.

He was contemplating another beer when his phone rang shrilly from the coffee table. He stared at it for a few seconds, his numb mind registering the customized ringtone. This was the absolute last thing he needed. He knew he would have to answer though or she would just keep calling back and possible phone his neighbor across the hall to check on him like she had done last year. His mother was incredibly overprotective of her 'babies' as she still called him and his brother. Sometimes it was annoying but mostly Alfred knew it just meant that she loved him. He reached for the phone.

"Hey mom."

"Baby! How are you?" Her chipper voice was loud in his ear.

"Great mom," Alfred tried to keep the sigh out of his voice and sound like his usual upbeat self so not to arouse her suspicion.

"I was wondering what time we should be expecting you and Ivan?" She sounded so excited about meeting her son's boyfriend and Alfred felt his heart sink just a little.

"Um," he tried stalling and glanced around his messy living room in a slight panic. "I guess we'll probably be there around noon?"

"Great! Just in time for lunch," her voice was coloured with a smile. "Would you like a big meal then or just something simple like sandwiches and soup?"

"Sandwiches are great," Alfred shook his head, trying to figure out why he wasn't just telling her that it would just be him because Ivan was gone. He couldn't seem to stop himself from acting like everything was still okay.

His mother made a noise as though she was nodding and said, "I'm so happy to finally meet your young man! It's been ages since you brought someone around. Not since law school I think, when you were dating that nice boy."

"Kiku," Alfred sighed. His mother had loved Kiku. But he had left him like all the others. After the painful experience of having his mother ask him about his ex for almost two years after the break-up, Alfred had stopped bringing boyfriends home. It was too painful after they eventually left.

"Yes, he was so sweet and respectful. I liked him."

"I know you did mom."

"Is this Ivan just as nice?" she questioned.

"Um," Alfred stumbled. "Yeah he's great. You'll like him a lot."

"Good sweetie." Alfred smiled at the endearment. She continued, "Your father took the week off of work and Matthew and Gilbert will be here the night before, so I'm sure they'll claim the nicer guest room, but they're so excited to see you both as well."

Alfred silently grimaced at the mention of his twin brother and his fiancée, Gilbert. They had been dating for a few years and Gilbert had finally proposed a few months ago at a family dinner. He had even driven up to the city to ask Alfred's permission after clearing things with the boy's father. Alfred got along with the German man quite well, but it stung to see how successful Matthew had been in relationships while he was always the screw-up. "I'm excited to see them too."

"Wonderful! All of my boys home for Christmas," she said happily. "This will be such a wonderful holiday!"

Alfred closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off the headache that was beginning. "Yeah, mom. Hey," he said suddenly. "I've gotta run, I'm doing some paperwork for a case tonight."

"Of course sweetie," she said. "Now don't forget, we're expecting you at noon and we are all so happy to finally be meeting your young man!"

"Uh huh," Alfred said, his voice tinged a little with pain. "I'll—I mean, _we'll_ be there."

"Love you baby."

"I love you too mom."

Alfred hung up the phone and groaned. Now what was he going to do? He thought back to his conversation with Natalia that afternoon. He _could_ hire someone to pretend to be Ivan. Or just a man who would pretend to love him. He could admit to the break up and say he had found someone new. Of course, he wouldn't say _when_ the break-up occurred. Meeting a man and falling in love enough to bring him home for the holidays wouldn't be believable if his family knew the relationship was only a week or so old. He would have to come up with a good story.

Alfred let out a sharp, hard laugh. What was he thinking? This whole idea was insane. He could never do it. He glanced down at the phone that was still in his hand and replayed the conversation with his mother. She was expecting him to come home with a boyfriend. And she was so excited. If he hired someone he wouldn't have to deal with Matthew's and his father's questions. He wouldn't have to deal with Gilbert's sly little comments about his love life. And he would be making his mother happy. What choice did he have? Especially this late in the game.

"What have I got to lose?" he said to his empty apartment. "It's not like I have any options. Shit." He was going to do it. He knew he was. He had already made up his mind when Natalia first suggested the crazy scheme, but after speaking with his mother, he knew he didn't have another way out.

"I must be insane," he shook his head as he booted up his computer. Opening an internet tab, he hesitated for only a moment before resigning himself to his fate. After googling his area, a site came up that advertised ad space for a reasonable amount of money. Not that money was really an issue for Alfred. He had a pretty good head for business and after two years of dating Ivan he had quite a bit of savings. He guessed that it had worked out with Ivan constantly insisting that he pay for all their dates. Alfred smiled a little wryly at that.

He looked at his laptop for a minute and after another long drink of alcohol he pressed a button to create a new ad. He needed to say the right thing, he didn't want to sound too desperate or weird. And he didn't want to end up with a serial killer at his parent's house. Ugh, he hated the single scene.

**WANTED: A boyfriend for the holidays. I am a gay man in desperate need of a suitable man to bring home to my family for Christmas. It's a long story. I am willing to compensate you monetarily for your time and you are welcome to the spare bedroom at my place for the duration. Of course I will pay for everything during the week that we will be spending with my family out of town as well. No feelings or sex required, I really just need a stand-in since I was recently dumped.**

He added his cell phone number at the bottom and pressed the 'Save and Create' button. He immediately felt a moment of relief before the panic set in. What if the only people who responded to him were total freaks? He shook his head and realized that what was done, was done. He would hope for the best. Alfred sighed and took another deep drink of beer.

* * *

After browsing around on the site for about twenty minutes, Arthur's computer gave a little ping, announcing that a new ad had been uploaded to the site. He scrolled up to the top of the page and saw the headline, "Wanted: A boyfriend for the holidays." He was immediately intrigued. Who would post such a thing?

He read through the ad four times before he blinked and sat back heavily in his chair. Compensation. That was very tempting. What was even more tempting was the offer of a spare room. He could have a few weeks to cushion himself and have a free place to live while he looked for a suitable apartment for him and his new cat.

Before he could talk himself out of it, Arthur pressed the reply button and began to compose a message of his own. He didn't feel quite comfortable using the cell phone number listed at the bottom. He wanted to get a little more information before he actually called this man. Perhaps things were looking up, he thought as he glanced over at the chair where the cat was currently napping again.

"Hello. I am also a gay man and in a bit of a pickle of my own. I am in desperate need of a place to live for a few weeks. I am very interested in your proposal and would like to meet with you to discuss it further. There's a café off of Main Street called 'Lucille's' that I could meet you at tomorrow around noon if that is acceptable."

He pressed send before he could think about what he was doing. Clasping his hands in his lap, Arthur sat at his desk and stared at the computer screen hoping to see a reply. His tea sat beside him, rapidly cooling and completely forgotten.

* * *

Alfred's phone made a happy little noise and startled him from the mindless television show that he had been watching. Some sort of knock-off trivia game where the contestants were all family members. He pulled himself into a sitting position and glanced at the screen. There was a reply to his advertisement. Wow—that was fast. Closing his eyes for a moment he took a deep breath and sent up a hope that this person wasn't a psychopath or a total weirdo—and was remotely attractive. He read through the response quickly and decided that beggars couldn't be choosers. He crafted his own message that simply read "I'll be there." Afterwards, he fell back onto his couch cushions and shut his eyes tightly. He could at least meet the man. After all, they both seemed to need some help. Maybe this would all work out. If the guy was weird, he could always say no and just suck it up and go to Christmas alone…again.

Alfred fell into a deep sleep on the sofa and didn't wake up until after one in the morning with a crick in his neck. He moved to his bed and curled up around his mountain of plush pillows. He had a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The next morning when both men awoke, they each took a little extra time picking out their clothes. They wanted to make a good impression, although neither of them was really sure as to why.

* * *

Noon arrived and Arthur found himself sitting in his car, staring at the restaurant in front of him. He kept up a steady rhythm of deep breaths as he waiting in his fast-cooling car. The snow had still not let up but he had turned his car off ten minutes ago. Was he really going to go through with this? He watched out of his cracked windshield at the people entering Lucille's and tried to see if he could guess which one of them he was meeting. No one seemed likely. Heaving out a large sigh, he unbuckled his seatbelt and slowly got out of his car. He locked it, as he always did, despite the fact that he secretly hoped that someone would steal the hunk of junk.

Arthur picked his way across the icy parking lot and opened the door, shivering as the warmth of the place seeped into his chilled bones. He looked around the restaurant but didn't see anyone sitting alone at a table. Making his way over to the seating hostess, he cleared his throat and announced that he was meeting someone.

"Cute, tall blonde at the bar?" she asked, winking at him.

Arthur shook his head, a bit taken aback. "I don't know, I've never met him."

She nodded and smiled. "Blind date? Right this way sir," she motioned for him to follow her to the other room which housed the restaurant bar. Arthur didn't bother correcting her. He simply nodded.

He obliged, stepping through the large open doorway into the secluded area toward the back. There was only one person occupying the place. His back was facing Arthur, but the Englishman could see a broad set of impressively muscled shoulders and a shock of blonde hair. At least this man looked cute from behind—that was something.

The man turned and Arthur was immediately struck by the bright blue eyes hidden behind wire rimmed glasses. It took him a moment to register that he actually recognized the stranger.

"Alfred Jones?" Arthur managed to squeak out after a moment.

"Arthur?" Alfred squinted at him, looking just as surprised as Arthur felt. "Funny meeting you here. I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

Arthur briefly wondered if the handsome American had given the idea much thought. "I believe you're the man I'm meeting," Arthur managed as he sank onto the stool next to Alfred. "Fancy that."

"Really?" Alfred looked happy at the idea. "You're the guy who answered my ad?"

"I am."

"That's awesome!" Alfred blinked in what looked like relief. "I honestly don't know what I was thinking posting that online, but I'm really desperate."

"As am I," Arthur inclined his head.

"What's up with you?" Alfred seemed genuinely concerned.

Arthur flashed a glance at the bartender and ordered a scotch and then turned back to Alfred. "I'm having a rough week, as I told you the other day."

Alfred nodded. "I know how that is."

Flashing a brief smile, Arthur continued. "I rescued a cat from the alley behind my place and was nursing him back to health. I plan on keeping him. He's a sweet cat. But my landlord found out and is basically evicting me at the end of the week because, according to him, 'we can't have pets.' It's complete bullocks, there's nothing in the lease saying anything about domestic animals—he's just being a twat."

"I'm sorry," Alfred said. "So you need a place to stay for a while?"

"Yes, I'm afraid I do," Arthur said. "That's why your offer looked so appealing to me. As long as you don't mind cats."

"Nah," Alfred grinned. "Cats are cool. I like animals, and my place doesn't have any restrictions on them so it's totally fine."

Arthur breathed out quickly. "That's wonderful. So…" he said after a moment. "You need to fool your family with a fake boyfriend?"

Alfred's eyes darkened. "Yeah, like I mentioned when I hit your car, my boyfriend just dumped me and he was supposed to meet my family this year. They all think I'm a workaholic with no love in my life and the teasing and hinting is getting annoying. It was all my paralegal's fault—she suggested that I hire someone to take Ivan's place."

"Not a bad idea," Arthur admitted. "Just not very conventional."

"You're telling me," Alfred smiled. "I was really worried I was only going to meet weirdos but you're great—and I know you, so it's even better."

"You don't really know me," Arthur chided.

"I hit your car and you didn't call the cops, that makes us basically besties," Alfred laughed.

"If you say so," Arthur let a small smile slip onto his features.

"So," Alfred looked at him hesitantly, "Are you interested? Wanna be my fake boyfriend for Christmas?"

Arthur took a long sip of his scotch and let his eyes meet Alfred's. "I can think of nothing I would enjoy more."

"Great!" Alfred chirped, holding out his hand to shake. Arthur took the large palm that was extended to him and noted how firmly Alfred gripped him. It felt nice. "I guess we're officially dating then—for the next few weeks at least."

"Sounds good," Arthur reluctantly let his hand slip from Alfred's grip. "When should I come around?"

"Whenever you want," Alfred said eagerly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver key. "This is my spare, you can start moving into the guest room whenever you like. I trust you."

"You're very kind," Arthur took the key and gazed at it for a moment. "I'm almost packed up at my place, I could bring my things over today if that is suitable."

"Fine with me," Alfred said. "I actually have to get back to work, but the doorman knows to expect someone new, I'll call ahead and tell them your name so you won't have any trouble getting in."

"Thank you." Arthur said gratefully. It seemed as though things were looking up.

Alfred shook his hand once more, threw down a few bills for the drinks and said, "I'll see you tonight…honey." He winked and Arthur felt his heart stop a little. Then he was gone. Arthur sat at the bar nursing his scotch for a while before he got up and left. He had a lot to do for the rest of the day. He smiled as he started his car and began to drive through the snow. It seemed as though Christmas really _was_ a time of miracles.

* * *

Clambering out of the elevator with the last of his boxes, Arthur struggled down the hallway of the apartment building. Upon reaching Alfred's door, he braced the heavy box of books against his hip and unlocked the front door. The cat was already acquainted with his new surroundings and curled up on a wing back chair in the far corner. Arthur allowed himself a small smile at the vision of his newfound feline friend.

He made his way down the hallway to the spare bedroom. He had figured that it was to be his new lodgings since the other room was so obviously lived in. He set the box down on the floor and glanced around the room, actually seeing it for the first time. The bedframe was done in a sterile looking chrome and the comforter was plain black. Everything looked modern and slightly sharp. The décor of the place really didn't seem to mesh with what he would have expected from his new employer. When he had first entered the place, carrying the cat in a small carrier he had hastily bought, he had smiled at the sight of framed movie posters leaning against the walls. _That_ was more like what he had pictured. But it seemed as though the posters were a recent change. Everything in the place was decorated in what looked like a showplace design. It seemed off and he wasn't sure he was very comfortable there. Not that he really cared, he didn't have much of a choice.

He hung all the clothes up in the empty closet and grabbed a can of cat food from his battered suitcase. Walking into the kitchen he tapped the lid of the can and his cat came running. Arthur smiled as he stroked the cat, while the feline gorged himself on a meal of fish.

"What would you like your name to be?" he asked absently to the cat.

"Talking to animals?" a voice came from the door.

Arthur spun around quickly as he was startled, but his face relaxed into a half smile when he saw Alfred setting his keys in a porcelain dish by the door. "You're home," he stated obviously. Alfred was dressed in a suit and tie and he looked devastatingly handsome. Arthur shook his head, trying to get rid of the thought.

"I am," Alfred raked his hand through his dark blonde hair. "And I'm exhausted."

Arthur sucked in his breath at Alfred's movement. He really was surprised at his reaction to the other man. Alfred was so attractive. Arthur assumed that he probably had his pick of potential boyfriends, so why had the young lawyer chosen to go the route of hiring a fake one? It wasn't any of his business, so long as the check didn't bounce—and based on Alfred's comfortable surroundings, Arthur didn't really see that happening.

"Thank you for letting me stay here," the Englishman managed.

"Hey, you're the one doing me a favour," Alfred said as he stepped toward the refrigerator.

"I think it's mutually beneficial," Arthur mumbled.

Alfred didn't seem to hear him. He was busy peering into the fridge and moving food around inside. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Um, what?" Arthur was confused.

"Food? Dinner?" Alfred poked his head out of the appliance and looked at him. "I figure you must be hungry right? You've been moving all day."

"Oh, we don't have to eat together," Arthur said, a slight blush staining his pale cheeks.

"You don't want to eat with me?" Alfred managed to look crestfallen.

"No," Arthur said. "It isn't that. I just—I just mean, you don't have to treat me like a guest. This is business, right? I can get my own dinner."

"Well that's just silly," Alfred said closing the door to the fridge. "We should go out."

_'On a date?'_ Arthur's mind flashed briefly. "To dinner?" he said out loud.

"Yeah," Alfred nodded and loosened his tie and Arthur felt himself gulp. "We could run down the street, there's some good restaurants about a block away," Alfred smiled at him. "Besides, we should probably get our stories straight so we can fool my family."

"I don't think straight is the operative word here," Arthur said before he could stop himself.

Alfred smiled largely, "You're right. It isn't" He winked and Arthur melted a little.

"Dinner sounds lovely," Arthur managed.

"Great," Alfred said. "I'm just going to get rid of this tie, it's killing me, and then we can head out."

"Okay." Arthur watched the other man retreat into his room. He glanced over at the cat who was still stuffing his little face and blinked. What had he gotten himself into?


	3. Getting to Know You

**Chapter Three: Getting To Know You**

The winter night air was chilly as the two men exited the apartment building. Their arms brushed as they stood on the sidewalk looking at each other for a moment. "Do you like Chinese?" Alfred asked.

"Um, yes." Arthur nodded.

"Awesome," Alfred grabbed his hand casually and began to lightly pull him down the street. "There's a great place just up the street."

Arthur dipped his head but didn't say anything. He kept staring down at their joined hands. Alfred looked back at him and saw was he was looking at. The handsome American gave a nervous chuckle. "I thought we could practice," he said. "You know, so it seems realistic. I really don't want my family to find out that I had to hire someone."

"Understandably," Arthur murmured.

The walk to the restaurant was quick, but cold and Arthur was grateful for the warmth of Alfred's hand in his. It felt…nice. When they arrived a few minutes later, Alfred held the door open for him and gestured inside. "After you honey," he winked. Arthur blushed in response and entered without a word.

Once they were seated and had ordered some drinks, the two men quickly looked over the menu before staring at each other in a slightly awkward silence.

"So," Alfred said. "You know I'm a lawyer from when we first met, but what do you do?"

"Why?" Arthur asked a little sharply.

"I'm going to have to know _something_ about you since we're supposed to be dating, right?" Alfred grinned. "We'll have to figure out how we met and know basic things about each other so my family doesn't get suspicious. It would look weird if I didn't know what my boyfriend's job was, wouldn't it?"

"Oh, yes, of course." Arthur relaxed a little. "I'm an off-site assistant, part-time. I work from home, writing memos, taking dictations, answering calls and forwarding them to my boss. It's like being a secretary I suppose, but I basically set my own hours and it pays well and…I don't have to leave my house."

"You don't like leaving your house?" Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"I'm somewhat of a homebody," Arthur admitted, glancing down at the table.

The waiter came by with their drinks and took their order quickly. Beef and broccoli for Arthur; General Tso's, egg rolls, crab wontons, and fried rice for Alfred. Arthur's eyes widened a bit at the other man's large order and he wondered for a moment where he put all that food—certainly not on his abs, since the lawyer looked incredibly fit.

"So," Alfred took a sip of his drink and turned his attention back to Arthur. "You're an introvert, that's cool. I'm an extrovert."

"I noticed," Arthur said dryly, but he smiled.

"What do you do for fun?"

Arthur blinked a moment. This kind of felt like a date. He supposed it sort of was, since they were pretending to be dating. "I like to read, and I do embroidery and sometimes I dabble in writing."

"Writing huh?" Alfred leaned toward him. "What do you write?"

"Just novels, nothing special."

"Anything published?"

Arthur blushed a little and nodded. "I have one book published. Not by any large firm or anything, but I did manage to get something out there." He didn't mention that his fantasy epic had actually done quite well with the young adult set. He was still waiting on royalty checks which was why he was strapped for cash at the moment. It had started on a whim, writing a loose retelling of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' but set in a magical, distant land. His Hamlet owned a dragon. Somehow, he had struck a chord with high school readers and his publisher was pestering him for the second installment in the series. Arthur turned his attention back to Alfred and saw that the other man was looking at him intently.

Looking impressed, Alfred sat back in his chair and looked at Arthur with admiration, "That's awesome! My boyfriend is a published writer!"

Arthur coloured at being called Alfred's boyfriend but he managed a smile. "What do you like do for hobbies?"

"I like playing sports, mostly basketball. The guys in my firm get together about once a week in the mornings to play. It's fun. I also like movies and reading comic books. Is that what you write? Comic books?"

"No," Arthur shook his head. "Not comic books."

"Oh," Alfred looked a little sad at that. "That would have been super cool if you wrote comic books. What do you write?"

"Nothing in particular."

"Would I recognize it?"

Arthur doubted that Alfred would know his novel so he just shook his head. "I don't think you're my demographic."

"Who are you writing for?" Alfred pressed.

"Teenagers mostly," Arthur acquiesced.

"Young Adult Fiction? That's cool. Those fantasy books are all really popular right now aren't they?"

"Yes, they seem to be," Arthur responded.

"Cool," Alfred said. "I'll have to find it and read it one day," he stated, still without knowing the title of Arthur's epic. Arthur was still touched. Alfred was acting as though they would remain friends after this whole thing was over. That was kind of nice. Arthur didn't have very many friends, and Alfred seemed as though he would be a good one to have.

"Any brothers and sisters?"

Alfred's question jarred Arthur out of his thoughts. "Yes," he replied. "I have four brothers. Three of them are older and one is much younger. I assume my parent's had an interesting Valentine's Day since my younger brother is born in November and about ten years my junior."

Alfred laughed. "That's a little awkward for you isn't it?"

"Some," Arthur admitted. "He's a good kid though."

"I have a twin, Matthew. You'll meet him," Alfred informed him. "He's engaged to a guy named Gilbert, who you'll also meet. They're pretty cool. Gilbert is actually my law partner's brother which is kind of weird, but whatever. Matty's happy and that's all I care about."

"Your brother is gay as well?" Arthur asked as the waiter returned and set their plates in front of them. Alfred moved things around on the table to make room for all of his food while Arthur poked a fork at one of the broccoli florets on his plate.

"Yeah," Alfred said, snatching an egg roll up and taking a large bite. "We both came out around the same time to our parents. They didn't really care, which was strange. I mean, we grew up in a really small town, and we didn't know any gay people. At least not any who were out publically. It was kind of hushed up in our town." Alfred took another bite of his food and swallowed before continuing. "Anyway, we didn't really know how our parent's would react, but they were cool about it. My mom just wants us to be happy and my dad didn't care. He actually told us that our uncle was gay too but no one talked about it because of the time period and all that. He was happy that we came out because he said it was so hard to watch his brother struggle with staying in the closet."

"Is your uncle out now?" Arthur asked, aware that it was a very personal question.

"Yeah," Alfred nodded. "He moved to New York City when he was in his forties and never looked back. He actually got married to an architect a few years ago. They're really happy together and I crash on their couch whenever I visit the Big Apple."

"That's lovely." Arthur commented, moving his food around on his plate.

"What about you?" Alfred asked. "Are you the only gay guy in your family or are there a lot of you among your brothers?"

"As far as I know, I'm the only one." Arthur's eyes clouded.

Alfred set his fork down. "What's wrong?" He looked genuinely concerned.

Arthur blinked a little as he felt some tears collecting in his eyes. "Oh nothing."

"Something's wrong," Alfred pressed. "Was it something I said?"

"No, not at all," Arthur whispered. "I'm just happy that you had such a supportive family. That's a wonderful thing."

"Yours didn't take it so well, I guess?" Alfred stared at him.

"Not as such," Arthur admitted. He glanced around the restaurant for a moment before settling his gaze back on Alfred who was still watching him intently. "My mother told me to leave when she found out and my eldest brother hasn't spoken to me since I was fifteen and he found out I had a secret boyfriend. They don't approve." Arthur said everything in a rush. He couldn't believe he was actually telling this to Alfred. He never spoke to men about his family. He hated the pitying looks on their faces. "My youngest brother Peter is the only one who still talks to me. I guess, being his age, he doesn't see it as a big deal, but the rest of them…" Arthur trailed off. He risked a glance up into Alfred's eyes.

Surprisingly, he didn't see pity there—he saw anger. Veiled anger, but it was there nonetheless. "That's horrible," the American stated. "That's really, really shitty."

"It is," Arthur agreed in a small voice.

"I'm glad one of your brother's isn't an asshole though," Alfred said, beginning to eat again.

"As am I," Arthur agreed.

Alfred seemed to sense that he wanted to change the subject and smiled tentatively at him. "So, you like cats?" The American changed the subject and kept Arthur talking about his new pet and gave name suggestions until their plates were cleared away. There was no more mention about family. Arthur found himself relaxing once again. Despite his slip at telling Alfred about his less than stellar relationship with his parents and siblings, he was having a wonderful time. In fact, Arthur allowed himself to think, that this was the best date that he had been on in a long while.

* * *

Alfred rolled over in his bed, his sheets tangled around his feet. It was stifling hot in his room despite the freezing temperatures outside. He knew why he was so warm though. He couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Arthur was sleeping in the next room.

When they returned from the restaurant, Arthur had begged off a movie, saying that he was very tired from moving and had some things to do for his boss in the morning. Alfred has smiled as he wished Arthur goodnight, but he was a little disappointed to see the other man go.

Their 'date' had been really enjoyable for Alfred. He wanted to know everything about Arthur that he possibly could. The Englishman was fascinating to him. A writer, who had a difficult familial background—and the way he looked. Alfred smiled picturing Arthur's handsome face. He really, _really_ liked Arthur. More than he had any business liking someone that he was paying to help him trick his family.

Reaching his hand down beneath the sheets he could feel how hard he was. Damn his brain! He had woken up about an hour earlier, after an incredibly steamy dream involving his new roommate. Especially his bright green eyes and tousled 'just out of bed' hair. Alfred groaned and pulled his hand away quickly. He wasn't going to jerk off. That was too twisted. This was a business arrangement, nothing more. He wasn't going to react to the fact that Arthur Kirkland was one of the most handsome men he had ever seen. He was going to forget about the fact that Arthur had looked so amazingly sexy in his dream as he climbed on top of Alfred's thighs and moaned in that throaty British tone.

Alfred punched his pillow and squeezed his eyes shut. The images just kept coming. He glanced at the clock by his bed. It was almost five in the morning. He may as well just get up. Perhaps a cold shower would help with his problem.

Rolling out of bed and grabbing a towel out of the laundry basket, Alfred sniffed it casually. It smelled okay. He wrapped the white terry cloth around his bare waist and quietly made his way down the hall to his bathroom. A cold shower. That would have to do. At least, he hoped it would be enough.

* * *

Arthur had been awake for almost an hour, laying alone in the dark. The cat had woken up and began kneading his cheek, asking for food and Arthur couldn't go back to sleep after that. He didn't want to get up and risk waking his host, so he simply lay in bed, staring out the window. It had started to snow sometime in the night.

The cat let out a soft noise and bumped his face against Arthur's chin. The Englishman sat up slowly as he heard footsteps heading down that hall and the bathroom door closing quietly. Well, if Alfred was awake, then he may as well get up too.

Swinging his legs out of bed, his feet hit the cold floor and Arthur made a mental note to find his fuzzy slippers sometime today so he wouldn't have to deal with cold feet tomorrow morning as well. He yawned sleepily and stretched. He hadn't slept very well that night due to some incredibly racy dreams involving Alfred Jones.

Shaking his head, Arthur grabbed his robe from the hook on the back of the door and covered up his pajamas. He couldn't afford to be finding Alfred attractive. There was nothing here, it was business. But he couldn't help that small, niggling feeling at the back of his mind, that maybe this was more than just a good arrangement.

Arthur quietly made his way to the kitchen to put on a kettle and start the coffee maker for Alfred. The cat wound itself around Arthur's feet as he padded around the dark kitchen. "All right dearest, just a moment, and I'll feed you." The cat chirped and stared at him. Arthur smiled affectionately at the feline. He was rather fond of the creature and he was very happy that he had decided to uproot his life for the large cat. "We're going to be okay," he told the cat as it watched him with bright, lamp-like eyes, waiting for his can of tuna.

Realizing that his feet were uncomfortably cold, Arthur sighed and decided to go dig through a few boxes in his room in the hopes that he could find his slippers, or at least a pair of matching socks. He made his way back down the hallway and almost jumped out of his skin as the bathroom door flew open.

* * *

Alfred stepped out of the shower and hastily toweled off his hair. The cold water had done little to nothing to help him with his 'problem,' He grimaced into the mirror as he set his glasses back on his nose. This was going to become an issue, he just knew it. Casually wrapping the towel back around his waist, to cover himself somewhat, Alfred reached for the knob, opening the door as he secured the end of the towel. The door almost hit someone in the hallway and he jumped a little for a moment. He still wasn't really used to having someone else in his place.

"You scared me," he managed when his tired and horny brain registered that Arthur was standing in front of him.

"Um," Arthur's eyes bore into him and the Englishman kept opening and closing his mouth like a fish. "Um," he said again.

"Sorry," Alfred said. He was painfully aware that he was only wearing a towel and had to resist the urge to cover himself. He knew he was hard, and that it was pretty obvious. Faking bravado, he tried to grin at Arthur who was still staring at him. Those beautiful green eyes were raking over his chest and…lower. "I hope I didn't wake you," Alfred tried to sound casual.

"No…no, not at all," Arthur stammered. "I just…socks, sorry." He spun around on his bare feet and scurried into his room, slamming the door behind him.

Alfred stared after him for a moment and then hurried down the hall to his own room. He could feel the heat rising on his face. Once safely inside, he glanced in the mirror above his dresser and looked at his reflection. Yup, his boner was super noticeable. Great, what was Arthur thinking about him? Probably that he was some weird horn-dog or something. Or else he suspected that Alfred had been jerking off in the shower. Ugh, either scenario was equally awful. Alfred grimaced into the mirror and tried to regain some of his dignity. It was difficult with his 'issue' staring right at him. He turned away from the mirror and hoped that he hadn't frightened Arthur off.

* * *

Leaning against his closed door, with his hand pressed against his chest, Arthur could feel his heart beating rapidly. Alfred had been in a towel. His skin had been glistening with water and his muscles were so…perfect. And then Arthur's gaze had travelled lower and—oh my. Even through the towel, Arthur had seen enough that he was impressed. Obviously it had been _way_ too long since he'd been laid if he was having such a visceral reaction to seeing an attractive and aroused man in a towel. Arthur willed his heart to slow down and decided to count to ten and compose himself before he went back to the kitchen for his tea. Alfred was _beautiful_! Arthur knew he had to shut down his immediate reaction though. He had no business being attracted to Alfred Jones. But he couldn't escape the fact that seeing the American in a towel had made his defenses drop. All he had wanted to do was pounce on the attractive lawyer and rip the towel away from his body. And thoughts and actions like that had no place in this situation. Arthur was resigned to keep things professional…no matter how much it hurt.

* * *

Alfred was having trouble concentrating on the brief sitting in front of him. He pushed himself back into his chair and absently tugged at his necktie. He heard a sharp rap on the outer door to his office and said, "Come in."

His partner in the law firm opened the door and poked his head inside. Ludwig was a tall, muscular blonde, and he was very German. Usually that would have ticked all of Alfred's boxes but he had never felt even a smidgen of a spark between himself and his friend.

"What's up?" he asked, gesturing to his chair.

Ludwig entered and sat down stiffly. He began to talk about a few of their clients and Alfred could feel his eyes glazing over. He nodded and made grunting sounds in all the appropriate places, but his mind was back as his apartment where he knew Arthur was spending the day. He wondered what the British man was doing. Maybe he was taking a shower or cooking something for lunch wearing nothing but a little frilly apron? Alfred shook his head roughly to get those images out of his mind.

Glancing up at him, Ludwig furrowed his brow. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Yup," Alfred's voice squeaked at the lie. "Totally. So you're cool with handling your brother-in-law's case?"

"Yes, I suppose," Ludwig said, satisfied that Alfred had been sort of paying attention to the direction of the conversation. "Anyway, Gilbert informed me that you and Ivan will be at Christmas with your family this year. I was wondering, since I will also be in town visiting with Gilbert and my own parents if you two would like to join me and Feliciano for dinner one night?"

Alfred blinked stupidly. Dinner. With Ivan there. "Sure," Alfred said slowly. "But, um, Ivan and I aren't actually together anymore. I'm seeing someone else though, so I'll bring him."

Ludwig's gaze narrowed for a moment. "Since when haven't you been with Ivan?"

"Ages," Alfred lied, easing into the deception. "It was rocky for a while so we decided to call it quits. It's all good. Anyway, I'm seeing this other guy and it's pretty serious, so I'm bringing him to Christmas."

"What's his name?" Ludwig fired at him.

"Um," Alfred blanked for a second. "Arthur. Arthur Kirkland."

"How long have you been dating?" Ludwig asked quickly.

"A while," Alfred stammered. He and Arthur hadn't set up their story yet and he felt himself panic as he was put on the spot.

"What does he do for a living?"

"He's a writer," Alfred responded. He didn't really know how to explain the part-time office assistant who didn't leave the house job so he didn't mention it. "He um, he writes books. He's published."

"What is the name of the book he published?" Ludwig stared at him.

Alfred blinked. What had Arthur said the name of his book was? Had he even mentioned it? Alfred searched his memory but he didn't think Arthur had ever told him. "I don't know. We don't talk about work." He knew Ludwig was suspicious and he could feel himself slipping. His hands felt cold and clammy.

"They don't talk about work because they're too busy getting it on in inappropriate places," came a female voice from the doorway. Natalia stood there, watching them with a mischievous smile on her face.

Ludwig spun around in the chair and stared at her. She grinned at him and stepped into the room. "Remember Alfred," she prompted. "When I walked in on you and _Arthur_ making out in your office after hours a few months ago?" She shot him a significant look and raised her eyebrows behind Ludwig's back.

"Um, yeah," Alfred said slowly while nodding his head. "Yeah, that totally happened." He smiled gratefully at his paralegal. "And again," he said, getting into the lie. "I'm really sorry that it happened, and it won't ever again."

"It certainly better not," Ludwig grumbled at him. "What if a client had seen you?"

"It was after hours dude," Alfred said, defending his fake tryst.

"Be more discrete," Ludwig admonished as he stood. "It isn't professional to have dates in the office, you know."

Alfred nodded, pretending seriousness. "I understand," he replied, trying to sound contrite when all he really wanted to do was laugh.

Ludwig nodded curtly, "Then bring this Arthur with you to dinner, we'll set the time and place later."

"Okie dokie," Alfred chirped as Ludwig bowed out of the room and Natalia took his place in the chair in front of his desk.

Once the door was closed he stared at his friend and sighed in relief. "Thanks for that Nat."

"No problem, you know I always have your back," she said easily. "So…Arthur?" She smiled.

"Yeah," Alfred gave her a sheepish grin.

"Did you take my advice or did you actually meet someone?" She stared him down.

Alfred glanced up at the door to make sure it was still closed and said quietly, "I hired him."

Natalia gave him an appraising look. "Good for you," she said simply. "You deserve to have a holiday free of the familial guilt trip."

"Yeah," Alfred agreed. "I just hope it works out."

"It will be fine," she smiled. "I'm assuming he's normal enough and not a troll?"

"He's gorgeous!" Alfred almost shouted. When Natalia raised a brow at him, he felt a blush creep up his neck. "I mean, you know, he's good."

"Okay," Natalia said slowly. "Just be careful. You know this is just a business thing right? It isn't love, no matter how real you make it look."

Alfred nodded fervently. "Yeah, I know."

"Be careful Alfie," she stood and let herself out. Alfred sat alone at his desk and pondered her ominous final words. He would be careful. This wasn't about making a connection, it was about getting through the holidays with his dignity intact.

* * *

Smoke filled the kitchen and Arthur rushed over to the window to wrench it open. He waved his hands, covered in pot holder gloves, around his face to try and dissipate the fumes. It wasn't a bad fire, certainly not his worst and he had managed to get it under control rather quickly. Still, he was nervous about what Alfred would say when he returned home.

As if by magic, the front door clicked open and he saw Alfred step inside. "The hall smells like smoke," Alfred called from the door.

Arthur stood rooted in the spot by the window, his mouth hanging slightly open in horror. He watched as Alfred looked up and finally saw the mess in the kitchen. "It smells like smoke in here too," Alfred said, even as the corners of his mouth turned up a little.

"I cooked," Arthur said.

"I smell that," Alfred chuckled.

Arthur narrowed his gaze. "Are you laughing at me?"

"No," Alfred giggled some more. "I'm laughing at the situation. It smells like a campfire in here, only not as homey."

Arthur huffed and stalked over to the oven which still had wisps emerging from the open door. "It got away from me."

"That's okay," Alfred smiled at him. "We can go out."

"I'm sorry," Arthur looked at the ground. "I didn't mean to make such a mess of things. I just wanted to do something nice for you, make dinner for when you got home. I'm not much of a cook, I admit."

"Is this a regular occurrence?" Alfred tried to look into his eyes, but Arthur kept his gaze firmly on the floor.

Sighing, Arthur lifted his head. "I wish I could say no."

"So you're a bad cook," Alfred shrugged. "I think its endearing."

Arthur glared at him, but there was no malice in it. "I like cooking, I just…burn things."

"I can tell," Alfred laughed. "Okay, where do you want to eat tonight?"

"We can't go out again, we went out last night," Arthur said. And Alfred had paid for both of them. He was both grateful for the gesture and somewhat put out. His part-time job didn't pay very well and since his royalty checks still hadn't come, the Englishman was strapped for cash. And he didn't like making the other man pay all the time, it made him uncomfortable.

"No big deal," Alfred said. "Come on, let's go get some food."

"No Alfred," Arthur shook his head. "I can't."

"Why not?"

Arthur blinked and tried to avoid Alfred's gaze. He finally said softly, "I can't afford it."

"Is that all?" Alfred seemed confused. "I'll pay."

"I don't want you to have to pay for me all the time, it isn't right," Arthur insisted.

"But I don't mind," Alfred still wasn't getting it. "Does it make you uncomfortable when I paid last night?" He finally had an idea dawn on him.

"A little, yes," Arthur admitted.

"But…I hired you," Alfred said. "I mean, I _should_ be the one paying since, you know…you're doing this for me."

"You're helping me too though," Arthur pointed out.

Alfred laughed, the sound was harsh and Arthur didn't like it. "Trust me," Alfred said seriously. "You're helping me out _way_ more than I'm helping you. Besides," he looked at Arthur and something in his eyes changed. It was almost seductive. "Shouldn't a guy be able to take his boyfriend out for dinner at the holidays?"

Arthur felt his resolve crumble. Alfred had called him his boyfriend again. Even though the Englishman knew it was a fake relationship, he still liked the way that it sounded coming off of Alfred's tongue. "Fine," he said. "But I'll pay you back."

"Whatever you want bunny," Alfred's eyes twinkled.

"Don't call me that," Arthur said in a grumble, although he didn't really mean it.

"I have to have pet names for you," Alfred insisted. "I always use pet names. If I don't with you, my parents and brother will get suspicious."

Arthur sucked in a breath. He didn't think he could keep his feelings impersonal if Alfred was wandering around calling him 'bunny' and 'sweetie' and other ridiculous things. Finally, he rolled his eyes and said, "All right, but I have to approve them before you go calling me insane things in public."

"No problem pumpkin," Alfred smiled, his face lighting up.

"No." Arthur shot down the newest name.

"I'll find something you like," Alfred promised. "Come on, dinner awaits." He held out his hand and Arthur couldn't resist as he slipped their fingers together. Even though it was all a ruse, it just felt so right.

* * *

It wasn't until they were having dessert that Alfred brought up the impending trip to his parent's home. He seemed reluctant to come up with specific plans and stammered out that his mother was expecting them around noon the day of their arrival.

"Why are we going there an entire week before Christmas?" Arthur asked suddenly.

"Why?" Alfred blinked. "Is it a problem for you with work? Taking time off around the holiday?"

"No," Arthur said slowly. "My employer's office is actually closed for the week before Christmas and doesn't open again until January second. I'm just wondering why we need to arrive at your family's house so much before the actual holiday."

"I always spend the few weeks around Christmas with my family," Alfred shrugged.

"But a longer time with them will make it harder to pass me off as your real boyfriend," Arthur felt the pain in his chest as he acknowledged out loud that the entire thing was a sham. "There will be more time for one of us to slip up," he pointed out.

"Yeah," Alfred nodded. "I'd thought of that too. But if I change my plan that would tip them off too."

Arthur sighed. "I suppose you're right."

"So," Alfred said. "We'll head up Friday after I get back from work. And don't worry about bringing Nick with us, my parents won't care."

Arthur gave him a confused look. "Nick?" he asked. "Who is Nick?"

Smiling, Alfred said, "The cat."

"Nick?" Arthur questioned uncertainly.

"Yeah," Alfred grinned blindingly. "Saint Nick. It's Christmas and you found him during the holiday season, so he has to have a holiday name. Nick. It works."

Arthur didn't know if he should laugh or not. Nick was as good a name as any. Especially since he had been taking care of the cat for over two weeks now and still hadn't named him. "Nick it is then," he finally agreed. "You're so ridiculous Alfred." His voice was tinged with affection.

"I know," Alfred said. "That's why you love me." His comment was joking and off-hand but Arthur blushed and ducked his head.

"Yes, it is," he said so softly that even Alfred couldn't hear.


	4. The Battle Plan

**Chapter Four: The Battle Plan**

Arthur glanced at his half packed suitcase and then looked up into the eyes of Nick, purring on the edge of his bed. He wasn't sure exactly what sort of outfits he should be taking with him. Would there be any formal dinners? Arthur didn't have much in the way of dressy clothes, usually opting for slacks and a sweater vest if the occasion called for it. He stared at the cat as though Nick would help him decide what else he should be packing. Nick stared at him through half-lidded eyes.

He hadn't seen much of Alfred in the past few days, and he didn't want to admit how sad it made him feel. This wasn't personal, and he couldn't afford to get attached to his fake boyfriend. Once the holiday season was over and he had his royalty check, he would begin looking for a permanent place to call home and he and Alfred would go their separate ways. The thought made Arthur's heart twinge a bit.

The front door closed and Arthur was startled out of his reverie. Nick lazily stretched and jumped on to the floor, making his way into the kitchen. The cat knew that when Alfred arrived home it was time for dinner, and he was always waiting patiently for his can of tuna when the American came barreling into the place. Arthur followed Nick down the hall and heard Alfred call a greeting to him.

"It's really starting to snow," he said brightly as Arthur rounded the corner. "Maybe we should get started a little early tomorrow in case the roads are bad."

"That's fine," Arthur said, nodding. "How does your car handle in the snow?"

"Terribly," Alfred grinned at him and reached down to pet Nick on the head.

Arthur's eyebrows scrunched up in worry. "Perhaps we should take my vehicle then, it doesn't do too bad in these conditions."

"No offense, babe," Alfred smiled. "But I don't think your car would make it to my parent's. We'd end up stranded on the side of the road."

Knowing that he was absolutely right, Arthur pursed his lips. "What do you suggest then?"

"I already rented an SUV for the next two weeks, it will work out great." Alfred looked intensly at him and Arthur felt the back of his neck heat in a blush. "The company is delivering it to the parking garage downstairs around seven in the morning tomorrow."

"Isn't that a bit extravagant?" Arthur worried.

Alfred chuckled. "It's safe, which isn't extravagant. Don't worry about it."

Arthur knew that Alfred was fairly well-off, due to the size of his place, and the fact that he was a successful lawyer, but Arthur, at heart, worried about finances. Perhaps things would be different once he was officially a best-selling author, but the Englishman doubted it. He would always be cautious with money.

Flopping down onto the sofa, Alfred let out a sigh and glanced up at Arthur standing tensely in the corner. "Man, I'm glad this week is over."

"Excited to see your family?" Arthur sat down stiffly on the edge of the couch.

"Yeah, I guess," Alfred said. "I love my family. I'm just happy I don't have to go back into work for a few days. It's been insane leading up to the holidays. I guess unhappy marriages never take a break, ya know?"

Arthur nodded silently. "Does it ever bother you? Seeing people ending their marriages?"

"Sometimes it's sad," Alfred admitted. "But usually its really obvious that the people who see me don't belong together anymore—if they ever did."

"I don't know if I could ever get divorced," Arthur said, realizing the heavy tone that their conversation was taking.

"It's painful to think about," Alfred said. "I hope I make the right choice when it comes down to it, but my track record speaks for itself."

"I understand that," Arthur nodded. "I feel the same way."

"Bad luck in relationships?"

"You could say that."

"Men always want me to change for them," Alfred looked at the floor, avoiding Arthur's gaze. "I hate it, but I just can't seem to find anyone who wants me just the way I am."

Arthur was taken aback. He thought Alfred was _wonderful_ just the way he was. He couldn't imagine ever asking the young lawyer to change anything about himself. "You're former lovers must have been fools then," Arthur said shortly.

Alfred picked up his head quickly and stared at him. "Why do you say that?"

"You're a kind, caring, and compassionate man. You're also very handsome," Arthur said slowly. "You're a real catch."

"You think I'm handsome?" Alfred smirked at him.

"You know you are, stop fishing for compliments," Arthur grumbled.

Laughing out loud, Alfred scooted over on the couch until their thighs were pressed together and wrapped his arms around Arthur's shoulders. The Englishman was so surprised he didn't have time to move away. Alfred gathered him close and hugged him tight. Arthur's heart did a little skip and his breath came in a short gasp. "What are you doing?" His voice sounded breathy and far away to his own ears.

"Thank you," Alfred whispered into Arthur's ear. "For thinking I'm good enough."

"You're touching me," Arthur's voice hitched in a panic. He wasn't used to physical contact—he hardly ever held hands with a man he was dating, calling it an 'act of PDA that should be left private.' He had run off more than one boyfriend in the past for his stuffy and uptight ways. He didn't know how to respond to this situation.

"Yeah," Alfred pulled back and looked into his eyes. "We're going to have to touch a lot the next few days. My family is really affectionate and they'll notice if we aren't holding hands and hugging and stuff. Is that going to bother you?" He looked genuinely worried.

"Um, no," Arthur managed, while wriggling slightly to disengage himself from Alfred's warm, muscular arms. "I'm just not that used to…touching."

"Must be that whole British thing huh?" Alfred teased.

Arthur rolled his eyes.

* * *

At seven the next morning, both men were standing outside on the icy sidewalk while an attendant from the parking garage brought their rented car around. Nick sat quietly in his carrier and Arthur kept glancing at him, worried that the air might be too cold for the cat. "How long does it take to drive to your family home?"

"About two hours, not too bad," Alfred said, glancing down the deserted, snow-covered street. "Plenty of time."

"For what?" Arthur looked over at him.

Alfred met his eyes. "To figure out what we're going to tell my family. How we met and all that. We have to be on the same page right?"

"We should have done this ages ago," Arthur muttered, watching the big, black car pull to a stop at the curb in front of them.

"It'll be fine," Alfred assured him, opening the passenger door for Arthur and settling Nick's carrier in the backseat. Arthur smiled when he saw how carefully Alfred buckled the cat carrier into the vehicle. He was such a sweet and thoughtful man. _'No,'_ Arthur admonished himself. He couldn't afford those kinds of thoughts.

Within moments, they were buckled in safely and pulling down the street. The road had been relatively cleared of snow, but the clouds above them hung low and grey and Arthur had a feeling that they would see more snow very soon. Alfred concentrated on the road, weaving in and out of traffic as they left the city behind and made their way onto the alarmingly deserted highway. Arthur gazed out the window and watched the snowy trees speed past them. After an agonizing amount of silence, Alfred cleared his throat and chanced a glance at his passenger. "So…" he sounded hesitant. "How did we meet?"

Arthur considered the question for a moment. "It's probably better to stick to the facts as much as possible," he mused. "We could tell them the actual story."

"What, that I hit your car and you saw my crying face?" Alfred sounded incredulous.

Arthur smiled. "I wouldn't mention the crying," he promised. "But yes. We could say that we were at the grocery store or something but keep the main details of the story the same. It would be easier for both of us to remember."

Nodding slowly, Alfred said, "That makes sense. Okay. So we met at the grocery store?"

Arthur dipped his head, "Yes, that sounds fine."

"And I hit your car and you were so gracious about not getting my insurance I asked you out."

"Plausible," Arthur agreed.

"Where did we go for our first date?"

"How about the restaurant you took me to the first night I moved in?" suggested Arthur, turning around in his seat to see how Nick was faring. The cat was curled up into a tight ball, fast asleep.

"Easy enough," Alfred said. "So how long have we been dating? It can't be the real time frame, my parents wouldn't understand me bringing home a guy I'd only known a few weeks. And my brother-in-law is pretty shrewd…he'd probably put it together and realize I hired you to save face."

"We wouldn't want that," Arthur said. "How about a few months then? Maybe since September or so?"

"Great," Alfred smiled, his eyes never leaving the road. "September it is, that works. It's long enough that we could be serious but not too long that they would wonder why I never mentioned you before."

"You said your brother-in-law is shrewd?" Arthur questioned, his voice laced with nervousness.

"Yeah," Alfred admitted. "Technically he isn't my brother-in-law yet. He and Mattie are engaged, but he's basically already family. Seriously though, if anyone figures us out, it will be him."

"What's his name?" Arthur asked so that he could identify this individual as soon as possible and try to avoid him.

"Gilbert," Alfred answered. "You'll know him right away. He's kind of albino—doesn't look anything like my family so he's easy to pick out. You'll love him though, he's a great time and really funny. He just doesn't get fooled very easily."

Arthur didn't say anything in response. His mind was full of the thought that this could be a very bad idea. If this Gilbert saw through their ruse, then it could all blow up in their faces. And if that happened, perhaps Alfred wouldn't pay him—or kick him out of his place. Arthur knew that he would have to do everything in his power to pull the wool over Gilbert's eyes. Neither of them could afford the embarrassment of being outed.

Alfred turned off of the highway and began to drive through a quaint downtown area. It looked like something out of a storybook. Arthur admired the architecture of the buildings and found himself smiling at the cozy and welcoming holiday decorations that adorned the storefronts and streetlamps.

"It seems as though we have a good basis of a plan then," Arthur finally spoke as they turned onto a residential street.

"Great," Alfred slowed the vehicle down. "Because here we are."

He pulled to a stop in front of a large, two-story Victorian house nestled behind some large oak trees. There were sparkling white lights hanging from the eaves and electric candles in all of the windows. He could see a brightly decorated Christmas tree through the front bay window and a beautiful evergreen wreath affixed to the front door.

"You ready?" Alfred looked as nervous as Arthur felt.

Even though he wasn't one for physical affection, he reached his hand over and squeezed Alfred's palm. They were in this together. For better, or for worse. How bad could it be? As they stepped out of the car and made their way up the walk, it began to snow once more.


	5. Meet the Family

**Chapter Five: Meet the Family**

The front door flew open and a short, plump, blonde woman dressed in a bright sweater displaying Rudolph hurled herself down the steps in a display that made her seem like a young child. She barreled toward them, her arms held open wide and Arthur took an involuntary step backwards. He let go of Alfred's hand and watched as the much shorter woman grabbed her son tightly and squeezed him hard. It was an enthusiastic and joyful reunion. "Oh Alfie," she said happily. "I'm so glad to see you baby."

"Glad to see you too mom," Alfred smiled down at her. "Merry Christmas!"

"I like the new glasses," she said as she stepped back and glanced him over. "They suit you better than those horrible plastic ones."

Alfred looked sheepish at that. He thought back to the thick framed black glasses he had worn the last year, another suggestion of Ivan's that just didn't feel right to him, but he caved anyway. "Thanks mom, I like these ones better too."

She reached up and tweaked his nose. "So handsome," her voice was brimming with pride. Suddenly she turned to Arthur and her sharp gaze took him in. "You must be Ivan," she stepped toward him. Before Arthur knew what was happening he was trapped in her rather strong arms receiving a bone-crushing hug.

"Um," he managed, glancing up at Alfred with a pleading look.

"Mom," Alfred said loudly. "This is Arthur."

She stepped back and tilted her head quizzically, glancing between Alfred and Arthur for a moment. "I don't understand?"

"Ivan and I broke up…months ago," Alfred said. "But I met Arthur here—"

"In September," Arthur interjected awkwardly.

"Yeah, in September, not like last week or anything, ha—" The two men glanced nervously at each other. "And I wanted to bring him for the holidays so here we are!"

Alfred's mother still looked a bit confused but she smiled at Arthur and said, "Well it's lovely to meet you dear, Alfred never brings anyone home, so this is a real treat."

"Pleasure ma'am," Arthur mumbled.

"Oh," she swatted at Arthur's arm playfully. "Call me Denise."

"Er," Arthur didn't know what to say so he simply repeated, "Denise?"

"Yes," She linked her arms into each of theirs and began to pull them closer to the house. "Come on inside and meet everyone. Alfie, your brother and Gilbert are so excited to see you. They said you always cancel on them when they invite you for dinner, why is that?"

"I'm busy mom," Alfred said on a sigh.

"Working," Denise huffed. "You're always working." She turned to Arthur, who still looked a bit shell-shocked. "He works too much, don't you agree? I hope you mean to break him of that habit. He can't be busy with divorces all the time when you two have babies. Are you more for adoption or surrogacy?"

Arthur's eyes bulged out and his mouth dropped open. He blinked rapidly and saw Alfred laughing at him over his mother's head. "Um, I don't know," he managed. "It's…it's quite soon, isn't it?" He shrugged a little and glared at Alfred who was almost doubled over, shaking with giggles.

"Mom," he finally said as he straightened. "Don't frighten Arthur right away, I wanna keep him around." He winked at Arthur who blushed deeply. "I gotta get our luggage and Nick out of the car first though okay?"

"Who is Nick?" His mother asked, turning to him, thoughts of grandchildren forgotten…for the moment.

"My cat," Arthur spoke up. "He's…very good. I hope it isn't too much trouble?"

"Not at all," Denise smiled warmly at him. "I love animals! And the more the merrier at Christmas. Alfie, go get the cat and set him up in your room, I'll get Arthur introduced to the family and all settled in."

"Okay mom, thanks," Alfred grinned at Arthur, who mouthed _'Help me!'_ at the infuriating American. "Have fun babe," Alfred ignored his silent plea for help and bounded back down the stairs, leaving Arthur in the well-meaning clutches of Denise.

"So," she said warmly, leading Arthur into the spacious front hall. "Do you want to have boys or girls or both? I hope you want a big family, Alfred will be such a wonderful father…"

* * *

The entire family sat around a long wooden table in the dining room passing cold cuts back and forth. The conversation was loud and a little overwhelming, but full of love and affection. Alfred laughed heartily at a joke his father had told and took a large bite out of his second sandwich. Although they had went out to dinner before, Arthur was still trying to get used to Alfred's substantial appetite.

Basking in the warmth of the room, Arthur glanced around and took in each person's face. Alfred's father, Joseph, sat at the head of the table telling funny anecdotes in between his eating. He seemed to have the same kind of appetite as his son. He was a large, blonde man who was aging incredibly well. It was obvious that both of his son's would have impressive genes as they aged. Denise, Alfred's mother sat at the other end, drinking deeply from her wine glass and constantly offering everyone seconds on their food. The two seats across from Arthur sat Alfred's twin brother and his fiancée, Gilbert. Matthew looked remarkably like Alfred but with subtle differences, leading Arthur to suspect they were fraternal twins who happened to look very similar. Matthew's hair was longer and his eyes were a different shade than his brother's—they almost looked purple in some light. He was soft-spoken and didn't contribute much to the conversation, but seemed to be very content with listening to everyone around him. In contrast, the man next to him, Gilbert was incredibly boisterous. He was shockingly pale, with white hair and red-rimmed eyes. Despite the pallor of his skin, the young German man was remarkably attractive and Arthur mentally reminded himself that Alfred had said Gilbert was sharp. He couldn't afford to be disarmed by the man's looks and accidentally slip up. Everyone seemed happy and content as they ate and talked of nothing in particular.

Suddenly, Gilbert set down his mug of imported beer and looked hard at Arthur across the table. "So," he said, with a smirk on his face. "How did you and Alfred meet?"

This was it. The first big test of their charade.

The entire table went silent around them and stared. Alfred and Arthur glanced quickly at one another and tried to make their expressions seem genuine and full of adoration. It wasn't very hard for either man. Arthur reached over and took Alfred's large hand in his own and turned back to address Gilbert. "He hit my car," Arthur stated with a smile.

"Really?" Denise's eyes flitted to Alfred and she had a worried expression on her face. "Was anyone hurt?"

"No mom," Alfred groaned. "I was going about two miles an hour. Pulling into a parking space."

"I was sitting in my vehicle, waiting for the heater to kick on," Arthur said.

"And I took the turn too wide and rammed right into him," Alfred finished with a chuckle. "Luckily he took pity on me and didn't make a big fuss."

"It helps that my car is worth a whopping five hundred dollars. It wasn't that big of a deal," Arthur smiled at Alfred and squeezed his hand.

"There is that," Alfred laughed.

"So," Matthew spoke up in his soft voice. "You just asked him out?"

"Yup," Alfred chirped. "He couldn't resist me, so he said yes right away."

"I did not," Arthur laughed, getting into the fictional tale. "He begged me to go to dinner with him and I finally relented because I am a gentleman."

"And because you think I'm hot," Alfred winked at him.

Arthur's face coloured in a deep blush. "You're passable, I suppose."

Gilbert laughed loudly at that, and clapped his hands together. "That's a great _story_ ," the German man said with a wink to Arthur. For a moment, Arthur felt his hands clam up as he noted the emphasis on the word 'story.' Could Gilbert possibly know something? He couldn't—their delivery had been spot on. But something nagged in the back of his mind.

Denise expressed delight at how 'adorable' their story was. "Just like a romance movie," she proclaimed before passing a plate of shrimp cocktail to Alfred, who greedily dug in. The conversation shifted to what kinds of cookies they would all like for the holidays and Arthur felt himself try to relax. No one asked anymore personal questions for the rest of the meal, but Arthur could feel Gilbert's eyes on him on occasion and they were glinting with a merry light.

* * *

Matthew passed a wrapped stick of butter to Arthur and smiled warmly at him. "Thank you," Arthur said.

"No problem," the quiet man said.

The two of them were stuffed into the family's kitchen with Denise making Christmas cookies while Alfred, his father and Gilbert were putting up more lights outside. It was cozy and the room smelled delicious. Arthur was on alert, trying to follow the directions of the recipe precisely. He didn't want another cooking disaster on his record.

"So, how long have you been dating my brother?" Matthew asked as he stirred a bowl full of dough with a sturdy wooden spoon.

"Um, four months thereabout," Arthur said, squinting at the card in front of him. Did it say three eggs or two? The handwritten recipe was difficult to decipher.

"That's pretty quick," Matthew observed nonchalantly. "Four months and you're already meeting the family."

"Yes, well," Arthur glanced up at the man next to him. "Alfred insisted. You know, since all my family is back in England, he didn't want me to spend the hols alone." This was the story they had come up with in case anyone asked about the whirlwind courtship.

"I could have sworn that Alfred said he was bringing Ivan to Christmas only a few weeks ago," Matthew noted casually as he began to drop spoonfuls of dough onto a greased baking sheet.

"I remember him mentioning Ivan too," Denise looked over at them. "But that's silly isn't it? If you've been dating for four months…he wouldn't have invited his ex to come home with him then, would he?" She arched her brow and looked hard at Arthur. Neither one of them was being blatant or rude, but Arthur suddenly felt as though he was being interrogated. He thought Gilbert was the only one that he would have to worry about, but it looked like everyone might be a problem.

"Oh no," Arthur managed. "We've been dating four months. He asked me to come on Thanksgiving."

"Alfred was working on Thanksgiving," Matthew said.

Arthur paused for a split second. "Um, he was," he admitted. "But we had a late dinner together."

"Did you cook?" Denise probed.

"No," Arthur said with a grimace. "I'm not the best cook. Alfred catered a meal from the store and I picked it up the morning of." From what little he knew of the man, it seemed in character.

"Well, next year you'll both have to come here and join us for Thanksgiving," Denise insisted.

"Mom makes a great pumpkin pie," Matthew added. "She makes a pretty good cherry too. Are we having that for Christmas dessert?" He turned to his mother, the digging into Alfred and Arthur's relationship seemingly forgotten.

"Yes, I thought I'd whip that one up for us to enjoy," She turned to Arthur. "I know cherry pie isn't really traditional for the holidays, but my boys love it."

Arthur smiled at her, glad that the conversation had shifted. "I look forward to trying it."

Just as he began to relax and find his footing with the baking again, Denise piped up in her cheerful voice saying, "Now Matthew, you'll have to help me convince Arthur that I need grandbabies as soon as possible. And don't think you and Gilbert are off the hook either—I expect you to have children as soon as the ink is dry on your marriage license."

Arthur knew there was a panicked look on his face but he couldn't help but make a nervous laugh when he saw Matthew roll his eyes. "Yes mom," the quiet man placated her.

* * *

Gilbert handed another section of lights to Alfred, who was balanced precariously on a tall ladder. Joseph stood a ways behind them, watching their progress and puffing on a cigar. "You know you shouldn't do that dad," Alfred admonished.

"I know," his father laughed. "I limit myself to one a week…except during the holidays. And since your mother won't let me smoke in the den, I'm taking advantage of my time outside." Alfred knew his admonishments fell on deaf ears. His father had enjoyed cigars as long as Alfred could remember.

"So," Gilbert stepped back and tilted his head to look up at Alfred as he climbed back down the ladder. "New boyfriend?"

"Not that new," Alfred said as he set foot back on solid ground. "Four months."

Gilbert scoffed. "That's child's play. Mattie and I have been together for—"

"Ten years, I know."

"Eleven, next month." Gilbert smiled proudly.

"Not all of us can meet The One at college orientation," Alfred grumbled.

"No," Gilbert agreed. "I'm just that awesome that Mattie couldn't resist me."

"Sure buddy," Alfred said with a laugh. He recalled perfectly how he and his brother had run into the albino German man at the student club fair their first weekend at college. Gilbert had introduced himself, tried to get them to join the heavy metal music club, and asked Matthew out on a date. He had been politely turned down. Gilbert spent the next two months showing up at their dorm room every morning with a fresh cup of coffee and a single rose. It was cute and a little pathetic. Finally Matthew had relented and agreed to a lunch date. The rest was history. Alfred was happy for his brother, but he sometimes wished that he could have had it as easy on his quest for true love.

"Is Arthur what's been keeping you so busy that you can't meet us for dinner anymore?" Gilbert asked as the two of them headed up to the front porch where a steaming thermos of hot chocolate waited for them.

"Yeah," Alfred shrugged.

"Funny," Gilbert said casually. "I would have thought it was Ivan keeping you so busy."

"What? No." Alfred blinked.

Gilbert stared hard at him. He glanced toward Joseph who was still in the yard and not paying them any attention. "I saw you," he stated bluntly.

"Saw who?" Alfred tried to play dumb.

"Out to dinner a few weeks ago with that big blonde. You were a few tables away, but his voice carries…one hell of a thick Russian accent on that guy. You were holding hands."

Alfred paled underneath his tanned skin. He honestly didn't know what to say. "It's…it's not what you think," he managed to stammer.

Gilbert nodded knowingly. "Uh huh."

"It's not," Alfred tried to sound confident.

"So you've been with Arthur for four months then? But you were out to dinner with a Russian guy a few weeks ago. And I'm pretty sure that I remember that Ludwig mentioned that Ivan was Russian…and that he may have said something about how you've been pretty mopey and awful at work the past few weeks…" Gilbert trailed off, but his stare was piercing.

He should have known that his law partner would have said something to his brother about Alfred's decline in performance after the break-up. How could he have been so stupid? Alfred shook slightly. "Look, I'll explain everything," he said glancing once again at his father who was blissfully unaware of their conversation. "Later, I promise. Just…please don't say anything. Not to anyone."

Gilbert shrugged. "Sure buddy," he said easily. "But Mattie isn't stupid. He already thinks something is off about Arthur. He mentioned it earlier when we went to change after lunch."

"It's…complicated." Alfred admitted.

His future brother-in-law looked at him and nodded seriously. "It always is. Don't worry kid, your secret is safe with me…for now."

Alfred felt himself let out the breath that he had been holding. He took a sip of his hot chocolate, but it didn't fill him with warmth as it usually did.

* * *

They ate a delicious pot roast for dinner and everyone enjoyed themselves. Denise pestered all four of them about grandchildren whenever there was a lull in conversation, which they all took good-naturedly, although Arthur still found it disconcerting. Everyone pitched in to do the dishes and there was lots of laughter and two soapy towels thrown across the room by Gilbert and Alfred. The German man was true to his word and hadn't hinted at anything odd between Alfred and Arthur for the rest of the afternoon. Matthew seemed to have let the topic go as well, which was a blessing in both of their eyes.

After another joke from Gilbert about the lingering smell of smoke from Arthur's first batch of cookies, they all decided to retire to bed a little early that evening. The annual open-house Christmas Party was tomorrow night and they had all agreed to pitch in to help clean for the coming guests.

Alfred and Arthur trudged up the stairs with heavy feet and shut the door to their room behind them. Nick was curled up on the bed fast asleep. Both men glanced at the closed door and then awkwardly at the single queen-sized bed in the room. "I can sleep on the floor," Alfred offered after the silence had stretched out.

"Don't be ridiculous," Arthur said, walking toward his suitcase to look for his pajamas. "How would that feel after a few nights, you'll throw your back out."

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable," Alfred said kindly.

Arthur knew that he definitely didn't want Alfred sleeping on the floor—he wanted him in the bed next to him. Especially since this whole 'relationship' had an expiration date. Arthur wanted one chance to fall asleep in Alfred's arms before this was all over. He knew he shouldn't even be thinking about such a thing, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. "We'll share," he said firmly. "What if your mother or someone were to barge in and see you on the floor? How would that look?"

"Oh yeah," Alfred said, as realization dawned on him. "She always brings everyone breakfast in bed on Christmas Eve morning. That would be bad."

"It's settled then," Arthur began to pull his drab sweater-vest over his head. He didn't notice that Alfred was standing stock still, watching him.

Words had flown out of the American's mind as he watched Arthur begin to undress. He found himself picturing perfect, pale skin pressed against his chest and his vision clouded. He could hear the echoes of his breathing and the sound seemed deafening in the silence and intimacy of the room. Frantically, he searched his brain for something to say that would stop his brain from rushing farther south. "You should know, Gilbert suspects."

Arthur paused, his hands on the buttons of his shirt. "What?" he said in a hoarse voice.

"Yeah," Alfred looked glumly at the floor. "He saw me at dinner with Ivan a few weeks ago. And his brother Ludwig is my partner at the law firm and he kind of hinted that Ivan and I broke up recently…he's suspicious. But he promised he wouldn't say anything."

"Not even to Matthew?" Arthur arched a brow.

"He promised."

Arthur paused in thought and then nodded. "If you're not worried, then I'm not either."

"Okay," Alfred said in relief. "I just wanted you to be on guard. I told him I would explain everything to him later. Which means, in about ten years, but I didn't set a specific time." Alfred tried to make light of the situation but it fell flat.

Arthur began to unbutton his shirt again and Alfred gulped deeply. "Matthew seems suspicious as well," the Englishman admitted. "He was questioning me while we were baking."

"Yeah, I was worried about that," Alfred said resignedly.

"Aren't you going to change?" Arthur glanced at the fully clothed Alfred as he pulled his shirt off of his slender shoulders.

Alfred was standing by the door with rigid posture and an indefinable look in his eyes. He drank in the sight of Arthur's pale chest and noted that his slender form was gorgeous and suited the uptight Englishman perfectly. He blinked a few times and then whispered, "Wow."

"What?" Arthur hadn't heard him. He had turned to his suitcase and began to cover himself once more with a rather worn looking flannel nightgown top. Alfred didn't want him to put anything on…he wanted Arthur to be taking things off. More things…clothes should be coming off, not on. Shaking his head he tried to clear the image of Arthur's beautiful shirtless body out of his mind.

"Nothing," he muttered. He dug through his own bag to find his sleep pants. He never wore a shirt to bed, and he wasn't about to start now. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Arthur finished changing. He did his best not to stare.

For his own part, Arthur gathered up his toiletries and excused himself to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He hurried out of the room and down the hall where he shut the door hard and leaned against it. He had tried to be as innocent as he could manage, but he knew that if he had stayed in the room to watch Alfred change he might do something stupid. Like kiss him.

By the time he had finished with his nightly routine, Alfred was waiting outside of the bathroom for his turn. Arthur stepped out of the way and went back to their room. He slid under the thick covers of the bed and was grateful that he had his warm flannel pajamas with him. The house was a little chilly at night. Nick stepped on his chest and bumped his chin. The sound of contented purring was comforting and Arthur stroked the cat's back lightly. He heard Alfred reenter the room and gave him a quick glance. The American was shirtless and his pajama bottoms rode low on his hips. The sight was intoxicating. Arthur looked away and felt his cheeks heat.

He closed his eyes as the weight of Alfred settled next to him in the bed. They were incredibly close, and their shoulders bumped one another. It was both comforting and torturous. Alfred reached over and turned off the lamp next to bed, bathing the room in darkness. For a few moments both men shifted slightly trying to get comfortable. It seemed suddenly hot in the room and Arthur tried to make his breathing even and relaxed. Alfred was lying next to him—shirtless! He had caught enough of a glimpse when Alfred had walked into the room that his mouth was watering as the sight of the chiseled chest of his bed partner.

"Well," Alfred said quietly into the darkness. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Alfred," Arthur managed.

Nick curled up in between their legs and the moon shone brightly through the window. Both men closed their eyes and feigned sleep. But sleep would evade them on this night. Each man lay as still as possible so not to disturb the other, while erotic thoughts ran through both of their minds. It was a very long night.


	6. Harder Than We Thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW...the first sex goes to PruCan (of course, lol). It's not very graphic, but just fair warning.
> 
> Liz is Hungary.

**Chapter Six: Harder Than We Thought**

The morning sun crept through the window, shining a warm light across the bed. It had taken a few hours, but sleep had finally come to them both. Arthur stirred gently in his sleep as his consciousness became aware to his surroundings. He was warm and cozy and he didn't want to move. As he opened his eyes wider, he began to realize that even if he had wanted to move—he couldn't. He was squished under Alfred's body. The young lawyer's arm was heavily draped across his chest and his legs were intertwined with Arthur's own. It was an intimate position and Arthur tried to recall the last time he had woken up to someone else. It had been years. He forgot how good it felt to start your day with a handsome man at your side.

He shifted slightly as his bladder began to demand attention and he tried to slide out from under Alfred's arm without alerting the other man. He moved his hips toward the edge of the bed but he got tangled in Alfred's limbs and his hip bumped into the sleeping American. He bumped into something…hard. He could feel Alfred's erection straining through his thin pajama pants and Arthur's mind when straight to the gutter. He began to feel the blood in his body flowing somewhere that he didn't want at that particular moment.

Alfred stirred next to him and nuzzled his face against Arthur's cheek. The insistent need in Arthur's groin was beginning to get uncomfortable. He felt himself start to panic. Pushing himself more forcefully toward the end of the bed he managed to wiggle enough to rouse Alfred from his slumber.

"Hey cutie," Alfred yawned sleepily as he pulled Arthur closer to him, seemingly unaware that they were both in an awkward position.

"Alfred, wake up," Arthur said. "I have to go to the loo."

"In a minute," Alfred said into Arthur's neck. "Stay with me."

"We can't do this," Arthur wiggled a bit more which seemed to bring Alfred fully around.

"Woah," he said in surprise as he took in their tangled bodies and finally realized that he had an erection. "Sorry," Alfred blushed and pulled away. "I didn't mean…I'm sorry I…I don't know—"

"Its fine," Arthur said as he jumped out of the bed and tried to hide his own issue as he scurried from the room and down the hall.

Alfred watched him go and then glanced down at himself. What was he? Fourteen? Getting a hard on while lying in bed with Arthur wasn't how he wanted to start his day. He worried that he had freaked the uptight Englishman out, but quickly dismissed it, realizing that there was nothing he could do about it anyway.

Dressing quickly, so as to be gone when Arthur returned, Alfred gave Nick a pat on the head and made his way downstairs to the bathroom in the foyer. He could brush his teeth down there and avoid Arthur for just a little longer. He knew that they had to keep up their act, but deep down he was beginning to wonder how much of it was really acting and how much may be real?

* * *

Arthur paused and took a moment to gaze at the Christmas tree that dominated the spacious living room of the Jones' house. Denise had set up small, three-foot trees in every room of the place, including all the bathrooms and each one seemed to have a different theme. One had snowmen ornaments dangling cheerily up from the boughs. Another featured gingerbread people. However, the tree in the living room was so tall that it almost brushed the ceiling and it did not seem to have anything that tied it together at all. Arthur stepped closer and let the feather duster he was holding fall to his side. He reached out and fingered an ornament that was crafted from clay and obviously made with a child's hands. He wondered if it had been created by Alfred or Matthew. Gently releasing his hand as to not break the precious piece of Jones' Christmas tradition, Arthur felt a smile cross his features as he took in the large tree. Some ornaments were store bought and displayed the year that they had been purchased and others had been made by the boys when they were small. It looked haphazard, but also incredibly cheerful. Arthur couldn't imagine a more perfect tree for this house or this family.

He was supposed to be dusting to prepare for that evening's open house party, but he stood by the tree watching the twinkling lights for a few more minutes. He wished that he had such a wonderful family to come home to at the holidays and he felt an unnatural pang of jealousy for Alfred.

"It's awesome, isn't it?"

Arthur whirled around at Alfred's voice. They hadn't spoken much to each other since that morning. The conversation at breakfast had mostly been dominated by Gilbert and Alfred's father, Joseph telling stories of Christmas's past. No one had seemed to notice the awkward tension between Alfred and Arthur—and if they had, no one had mentioned it.

"It's beautiful," Arthur said, turning back to the tree.

"I love Christmas," Alfred said, stepping closer so his chest was almost flush with Arthur's back. "It's always been my favorite holiday. I've just never really had anyone to share it with before."

Arthur felt the heat of Alfred and took a miniscule step toward the tree to create distance between them. "You've had your family."

"I know," Alfred whispered. "I was talking more about someone special. Someone…romantically special."

"Well, that isn't me," Arthur turned to face the American. "You know what this is."

Alfred hung his head, his blue eyes a little less bright than they normally were. "I know. I was just…I guess I was…hoping…"

Arthur's breath caught. Did Alfred _like_ him? Was this an admission of affection? Arthur couldn't believe it, so he couldn't trust it. He gripped the feather duster in his right hand tightly. "I have to get back to work. There's so much to do." He turned and practically fled from the room as Alfred watched dejectedly as he went.

Alfred glanced back at the tree and his eyes fell on the childish ornament he had seen Arthur fingering when he had walked into the room. "It's Christmas," he whispered. "Maybe that means this would be a good time for a miracle?" He touched the ornament, wishing that it was Arthur's fingers before he turned and went to see what other work his mother needed done before that evening.

* * *

"Do you think there's something weird about Al and Arthur?" Matthew asked casually as he went through his clothes to find something suitable to wear for the party that night.

"Yes," Gilbert chuckled from the en-suite bathroom as he brushed his teeth. Since Matthew and Gilbert had arrived a day early, they had claimed the second Master Bedroom and had the perks of a private bathroom. They had taken advantage of that fact earlier when they joined together in the hot stream of water in the shower. Matthew's legs were still trembling from how he had felt when Gilbert had finally sucked him off to completion. He may have been with his fiancée for over a decade, but he never tired of how good Gilbert was in bed. The German man was insatiable and gave insanely good head. Matthew felt a blush creep across his cheeks just thinking about it.

"What do you think it is?" Matthew tried to keep his voice from shaking as he fought visuals of Gilbert on his knees in the shower taking him all in.

The sound of spitting and running water came from the bathroom before Gilbert answered. "Whatever it is, it's not what you're expecting."

"What would I be expecting?" Matthew tilted his head and watched his lover exit the bathroom completely nude. Gilbert had always been incredibly comfortable in his own skin. It made Matthew a little jealous sometimes.

"Nothing. It's probably nothing," Gilbert pulled on a tight pair of black briefs and did a little shimmy with his hips, wiggling his eyebrows at Matthew.

"Sexy," Matthew laughed. "Very sexy. Seriously though, what do you think the deal is there?"

"With your brother and the stuffy English guy?"

"Yes."

"I don't know," Gilbert sniffed the shirt he had picked up off the floor. He must have deemed it acceptable because he pulled it over his head after a moment of internal debate. "It's not our business if they're making fools of themselves is it?"

"What?"

"Nothing, mein liebling," Gilbert muttered. "What do you think of these pants?" He turned around, showing off his sculpted rear end and all thoughts of his brother flew from Matthew's mind.

"I think you should take them off before I rip them off of you," he said in an uncharacteristic show of bravado.

"Kinky," Gilbert grinned. "I like it." He stepped over toward Matthew and gathered him up in his arms. Their embrace was hot and hard and fast. They were kissing passionately and as they fell onto the bed, tangled in each other's arms, ripping at clothing, the last thing on Matthew's mind was his brother.

* * *

Arthur stood off to the side of the front porch doing his best to blend into the background as he watched waves of people coming up the steps to the Jones house. Denise was in a sparkly sweater that tended to shed on whoever she hugged and was manning the front door, squealing with glee every time a new person arrived. Alfred and Joseph were inside pouring cocktails for everyone and Arthur wasn't sure where Gilbert and Matthew were. He hadn't seen them since before they went to their room to get ready.

A young woman walked up the front steps with a bounce despite the precariously high heeled boots she was wearing. Since Alfred's mother was preoccupied taking the coat of another guest, she immediately turned to Arthur who was standing off to the side in the shadows.

"Hi," she said brightly, sticking her gloved hand out towards him in a show of greeting. Arthur shook it and attempted to smile at her. He was terribly introverted and usually awful at parties.

"Hello," he replied. "Lovely evening isn't it?" He gestured to the falling snow that was beginning to gather on the walk.

"Isn't it?" she agreed. Her eyes had widened at his voice. "You're from England?"

"I am."

"English guys are so sexy," she batted her eyelashes at him suggestively and Arthur realized that she was still grasping onto his hand. He felt a tug as she tried to pull him closer. He didn't need to deal with this right now.

"Hey Liz," Alfred came sauntering out the door carrying two steaming mugs with him. "How are you?"

The young woman turned and faced Alfred. "Fine," she suddenly seemed a bit cold in her demeanor. Her fingers loosened and Arthur took the opportunity to slide his hand away from her.

"Good to see you," Alfred said. He was smiling, but his voice sounded strained to Arthur's ears.

"I guess," Liz's voice was definitely cold and not at all the flirtatious tone she had put on for Arthur. Without anything further, she turned away from the two men and went inside to be greeted by Denise.

Alfred chuckled a bit and handed one of the mugs to Arthur. He took it without thinking and their fingers brushed. "Sorry about that," Alfred said, trying to meet Arthur's eyes. "She was my girlfriend in high school. Obviously it didn't work out."

"Did it have something to do with the face that you're into penises?" Arthur said dryly.

"Possibly," Alfred said. "She didn't take it well. But our parents are really good friends so she's always invited to the open house." He paused for a moment. "She sure looked interested in you."

"I think she was flirting, but I can't be sure," Arthur admitted as he sipped at the drink Alfred had brought him. It was warm and soothing eggnog…and it was very strong.

"She was definitely flirting with you," Alfred laughed. "She had I have always had the same taste in boys."

Arthur blushed. "You shouldn't say such things."

"Why not?"

"Because…because this is business, yes?" Arthur lifted his eyes cautiously to Alfred's. "Isn't it? I mean, you hired me."

"I did," Alfred's voice dropped to a whisper. "But…what if I want—more?" His eyes lit up with hope and Arthur's heart tightened at the look on the handsome American's face.

"More?" He tried to keep his voice calm as he took another sip of eggnog. "Are you saying you want to date me?" He couldn't keep the disbelief out of his tone.

"Yeah, I think I do," Alfred said earnestly.

Arthur was speechless. He turned away and walked to the railing of the porch. The night air was getting almost unbearably cold and the sky was an inky black against the crystals of falling snow. "Arthur?" Alfred stepped toward him and he set his mug on the railing. Alfred reached up and placed his large, warm hand on Arthur's shoulder, giving him a light squeeze. "Are you okay? Are you…mad?"

"Mad?" Arthur turned around to finally face him. "Of course I'm not mad. I'm just…surprised."

"Why?" Alfred said, honestly confused. "I mean, you're super hot. And we've kind of had chemistry since we met and I gotta admit that sleeping next to you was the worst kind of torture."

"You too?" Arthur's voice sounded breathless in his own ears.

"Yeah, me too." Alfred admitted quietly. "So…you wanna maybe give this a go? Like, a real shot at a relationship?"

Arthur couldn't believe his ears. It was as though every fantasy he had ever had had just come to life on a magical holiday night. As quickly as the euphoria came, it was dashed. "You're paying me," he said hollowly. "It wouldn't be right." He looked down at the floor and tried to concentrate on Alfred's shoes.

"Arthur?" Alfred was so close to him. He reached over and lifted Arthur's chin with his fingers. Their eyes met. "You're fired," Alfred said with a smile on his face. "Does that help? Now it's not business…it's just…us."

Arthur felt a smile cross his face. "Well it doesn't help my financial situation, but it certainly helps my love life."

"So that's a yes?" Alfred's face lit up.

"I think that's a yes. Yes." Arthur nodded once. "Yes, I would like to go out with you."

Alfred let out a loud whoop into the still night air and Arthur laughed at his enthusiasm. Looking down into Arthur's green eyes, Alfred suddenly squinted. "You know, it's a little weird if we're going to be dating for real now, that I've never actually kissed you."

Arthur's breath caught and a wisp of cold air escaped from his mouth into the chilly night. "No," he said. "You haven't kissed me."

"I think it's about time," Alfred wrapped his arms gently around Arthur's waist and pressed their bodies tight together. He lowered his head slowly and Arthur felt himself lift up to meet him halfway. Their lips met softly and tentatively, brushing lightly against one another. Arthur felt the shivers all the way down to his toes. Alfred gripped him harder and pulled him even closer as he deepened the kiss.

Arthur melted into his arms and found himself flinging his wrists behind Alfred's neck, locking them and trying to pull the American in. Their tongues touched once and then again. The friction was tantalizing and delicious and neither of them could get enough.

The snow continued to fall as they explored each other's mouths greedily, only stopping before they got themselves into an embarrassing predicament like that morning. They still had a party to attend after all. As they came apart and each took a step back, Arthur felt pricks of happy tears gathering on his eyelashes.

"Wow," Alfred breathed. "I've never been kissed like that before."

"Nor I," Arthur choked out. "That was—"

"Amazing," Alfred said quickly. "And totally hot. I can't wait to do that again."

Arthur smiled wickedly. "Likewise."

From the living room window, Gilbert watched through the sheer curtains at the couple passionately embracing on the porch in the moonlight. He lifted his mug of beer in a silent salute and turned away to go find Matthew.


	7. Taking a Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little NSFW in this chapter.

**Chapter Seven: Taking a Chance**

The open house party lasted until almost midnight. People were laughing and mingling in the Jones' house and the alcohol flowed freely. Arthur found himself constantly at Alfred's side throughout the evening. He was introduced to friends and neighbors and the occasional relative. Everyone greeted him enthusiastically and usually made a jab about Alfred's horrible track record with relationships. Arthur found it confusing and was a little offended at how everyone made their surprise at the relationship known. No one seemed to have trouble with the fact that they were both men—they just seemed shocked that Alfred had finally brought someone home.

The two of them stood by the roaring fireplace talking with the woman from across the street. She was sharing an anecdote about a previous party and Arthur was having a little trouble following along with the tale. He felt fingers brush against his own and looked down. Alfred was trying to hold his hand. The thought made Arthur smile and he grasped the lawyer's hand in his own and smiled fully at Alfred's face. He looked surprised, as though he wasn't used to people being comfortable with innocent PDA.

In truth, most of Alfred's past boyfriends had been against any displays be it hand holding or something bolder, like kissing in public. He was a naturally affectionate man and he had worked hard to tamp down that part of his personality with his past relationships. He was surprised and grateful that Arthur didn't seem to be uncomfortable with his timid gesture. In fact, the sexy Englishman seemed to be perfectly content with entwining their fingers.

The neighbor moved on when she saw Denise setting out a new tray of appetizers and her place was quickly filled by Gilbert and Matthew. They were both well on their way to tipsy and Gilbert had his arm slung playfully around Matthew's shoulders. He swayed a bit against the quiet man as he spoke. "How's everything going with you two?" Gilbert wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"We are excellent, thank you," Arthur said primly.

"How come you guys were so late to the party?" Alfred's eyes narrowed at the German. "You weren't upstairs corrupting my brother were you?"

"I was definitely doing _something_ to your brother, that's for sure."

"Gilbert," Matthew hissed with embarrassment.

"Don't make me kick your ass Beilschmidt," Alfred said playfully. "You know you have to wait until the wedding night."

"Too little, too late," Gilbert laughed. "I already got me a piece of this sweet—"

"Gilbert!" Matthew practically shouted, slapping his hand over his fiancée's mouth.

Alfred laughed at their antics and squeezed Arthur's hand lightly. "Just looking out for you Mattie."

"I'm fine," Matthew said stiffly. "I don't need looking out for."

"So, when are you two going to finally get it on?" Gilbert swayed and pointed a question at Alfred and Arthur's shocked expressions.

"What?" Arthur managed to stammer.

"I mean, here," Gilbert amended. "You know…at your parent's house? You haven't had sex in your childhood home in a long time, have you Al?"

Arthur's face was pale and he turned to Alfred who looked just as trapped. "Um, yeah," Alfred managed. "I mean, cause we've been together for four months so we've obviously…you know, done it already—ha!" Arthur almost shook his head at how awkward Alfred sounded. At least the parent's weren't anywhere nearby to see how terribly their ruse was going.

"Of course you have," Gilbert said in a stage whisper.

Matthew grimaced at his brother and tugged on Gilbert's arm, "I think it's time for us to call it a night," he said. He didn't seem upset, or even surprised at Gilbert's actions. In fact, he smiled indulgently at his lover as they said their goodnights and retired upstairs.

Now alone by the fire, Alfred turned to Arthur and looked deep into his eyes. "It's getting late," he spoke after a long silence.

"Yes, it is."

"Do you, maybe, want to go upstairs too?"

The look on Alfred's face was so full of hope that Arthur felt his intense crush on the other man deepen further. He glanced around the room which was quickly emptying out and nodded silently. Alfred's grin widened. He tugged Arthur gently toward the stairs. Neither man bothered to say good night to anyone as they slowly and quietly climbed the stairs.

* * *

The room was in full darkness, lit only by the moon. Alfred and Arthur stood, facing each other, at the foot of the bed. Neither man was moving or speaking. They simply watched one another. The heat between them was palpable. After a few moments of simply watching one another, Alfred made a small movement. He took a single step toward Arthur and tentatively reached up to cup Arthur's cheek in his palm. He rubbed a soft circle on the Englishman's face and they gazed into each other's eyes. The silence stretched. Alfred took another step closer and their chests brushed against one another. Arthur's breath hitched.

Slowly, Alfred leaned his head down ever so slightly and pressed his lips against Arthur's. They moved as one, but it was soft and precious and slow. Arthur ran his tongue along the seam of Alfred's mouth and the lawyer's lips parted to allow him entrance. Their tongues melded beautifully and the thought crossed both of their minds that this kiss was perfect. When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing deeply and watching the other with trepidation.

Finally Alfred spoke. "I want to do that again."

"As do I," Arthur sighed. In fact, he couldn't _wait_ to feel Alfred's lips on his own. The idea of waiting even one second longer was pure torture. So Arthur went up on his toes and kissed Alfred, his hands sliding over the other's shoulders lightly.

Alfred kissed back fervently and soon they were in the throes of a passionate embrace. Fingers and hands and tongues and teeth all melted together as one and they were completely at each other's mercy. Collapsing back onto the bed, Arthur maneuvered himself so that he was straddling Alfred's waist, his hands pressing down on the young American's defined chest. Their kisses were harsh and needy as Arthur tugged at Alfred's shirt, wanting it to come off more than anything. Alfred obliged.

In the moonlight, Arthur drank in the sight of the beautiful man stretched out beneath him and his breath caught. Alfred was perfect. So handsome and kind and wonderful. Arthur couldn't believe how lucky he was at that very moment. Alfred reached up and cupped Arthur's face once more, the look in his impossibly blue eyes was so incredibly tender that Arthur let go with a rare, genuine smile. As quickly as it had come, the moment was gone, and they were once again, frantically ripping at their clothing. Shoes were kicked off, belts were tossed to the floor, and pants were shed and thrown across the room. When they were both down to their underwear, the spent some time exploring their bodies with hands and mouths until they were both gasping for breath. Arthur could feel Alfred's hardness beneath him and the thought that he had turned this beautiful man on was intoxicating.

Almost shyly, Arthur reached down and grasped Alfred through his boxers, rubbing his fingers up and down the hard length. Alfred cried out and bucked his hips. "Now, now," Arthur chided with a grin. "You mustn't be so loud, or you'll wake the entire house."

Alfred shook his head, because that was the last thing he wanted. He made an effort to keep his cries and mewls much softer as Arthur began to pull his underwear down his thighs, exposing Alfred's erection to the cool night air. Before Alfred could move, Arthur dipped his head down and quickly licked the tip of Alfred's penis causing the American to jolt and moan. "That tastes lovely," Arthur concluded, his lidded eyes glancing up to Alfred's flushed face.

"I bet you taste better," Alfred managed to gasp.

Arthur didn't respond, he simply lowered his head once again and took all of Alfred into his hot, wet mouth. The Englishman was incredibly skilled and he worked over Alfred's erection with tenderness and attention. The feel of Arthur's tongue lavishing pleasure on him had Alfred thrashing around on the mattress in utter ecstasy. He unconsciously bucked his hips upwards and thrust himself deeper into Arthur's willing mouth. For his efforts, Arthur clamped his lips around him hard and sucked deeply. In moments Alfred was spilling himself in the most intense orgasm that he could remember.

Arthur kept toying with him as he shuddered to a finish, wordlessly lapping up everything that Alfred gave to him. When he was finally spent, Alfred collapsed back against the pillows breathing hard, his eyes closed tightly. He felt Arthur slide up the bed and snuggle his body in tightly. Alfred slung and arm around Arthur's shoulders and pulled the smaller man flush against him. "That was beyond amazing Artie," Alfred breathed out.

"For me as well love," Arthur buried his face into the crook of Alfred's neck and inhaled the American's scent. He smelled like sex and a hint of chocolate. It was intoxicating.

"Let he help you out now," Alfred said as he made a half-hearted movement to sit up.

Arthur gently pressed his hand to Alfred's chest and pushed the younger man back down onto the bed. "No need for that love," he said, his cheeks flushing red.

"What do you mean?"

"I, um," Arthur stammered and turned his head away from Alfred. "I may have come on my own when you finished in my mouth…"

"What?" Alfred's voice was full of mirth and pride. "Really? You came just from that?"

"Well, you know," Arthur tried to defend himself. "It's been a rather long while and you're so…you know…attractive." He trailed off and tried to keep his face turned away from the other man.

Alfred let out a bark of pleased laughter. "That's awesome babe," He said pulling Arthur closer and nuzzling his face against the Englishman's cheek. "So you really think I'm that hot?"

"You know you are, stop fishing for compliments," Arthur groused, thoroughly embarrassed.

They stayed twined together, cuddling against the chill of the air, casual touches and small kisses.

* * *

Arthur woke the next morning very late for him. He was usually an early riser and didn't sleep much past seven in the morning. However when he rolled over and glanced at the old fashioned alarm clock next to the bed the numbers read that it was nearly nine. He sat bolt upright, clutching the blankets to his bare chest. He glanced quickly around the room and noted that he was alone. For a moment he stared at Alfred's pillow and he felt a tightness in his chest. Why would the handsome American, who was notorious for sleeping in, not be lying next to him this morning? Arthur could only think of one reason—Alfred regretted their night.

He felt the beginnings of tears prick at his eyes and he angrily wiped them away with a huff. Nick looked at him from the end of the bed where he was curled up in a patch of sun. The cat blinked lazily and turned his head away as though ashamed at Arthur's sorrow. Steeling himself for an awkward day, Arthur swung his legs out of bed and placed his bare feet on the cool wooden floor. He brushed once more at his eyes and then resolved that he wasn't going to cry. He wouldn't give Alfred the satisfaction.

As he pulled on his clothes for the day, crisply pressed slacks and yet another drab sweater-vest, he could hear the faint sound of voices drifting up from the main floor of the house. Alfred's voice seemed to stand out from the rest. Arthur delicately sniffed the air—it smelled like waffles. Breakfast sounded good, although he didn't really want to go down and face Alfred just yet. He looked at himself in the mirror over the dresser once more before sighing in realization that he couldn't spend the entire day hiding in his room. The room he shared with Alfred. Arthur rolled his eyes and grunted. Nick made a small mewing sound of commiseration. Glancing fondly at the cat and patting Nick's head, Arthur didn't hear the door to the room creak open. He looked up sharply and saw Alfred standing in the doorway holding a tray of food.

The American looked even more handsome in the daylight. Arthur sucked in his breath. They were finally face to face. He didn't want to see the look of regret in Alfred's eyes so he averted his down to stare at the cat.

"Hey," Alfred said in a cheerful voice. "I thought you might be hungry. You're usually up way before now."

"Yes." Arthur couldn't manage to say anything more and his eyes remained steadfastly down.

"You okay?" Alfred asked. "I made waffles. Well, actually Mattie made waffles and I'm taking credit for it because I watched him do it." Arthur felt a smile ghost across his face. He chanced a glance up into Alfred's eyes. He didn't see pity or regret—he saw worry. "Are you…mad at me?" Alfred's voice was small.

"No," Arthur said loudly. "Not at all," he dropped his voice. "I was just…concerned when I woke and you were gone."

"Yeah, I was really hungry and I could smell the food. I've only been up for about a half hour."

"You didn't wake me," Arthur said softly. He could feel the tears pricking at the corners of his eyes once more.

"I didn't want to," Alfred admitted. "You looked so happy sleeping. Your face is all relaxed and you don't seem angry."

"I'm never angry!" Arthur stated sharply.

"You kind of are," Alfred smiled. "Don't worry, I think it's cute."

Arthur huffed and watched Alfred step into the room, placing the tray of waffles on the edge of the bed. Nick sniffed the air with curiosity but he seemed to find breakfast pastries beneath him and laid his head back down. Alfred stepped closer to him, holding out his arms. Arthur fell into them gratefully. They kissed softly, their eyes fluttering closed and their lips brushing.

"I'm really glad that last night happened," Alfred said as he broke the kiss.

"As am I," Arthur agreed.

"So," Alfred said in a small voice, "No regrets?"

"Not from me," Arthur said. "You?"

"No way," Alfred smiled widely. "I was worried you'd wake up and be all mad at me or something."

"I would never," Arthur furrowed his eyebrows.

Reaching down and grabbing a waffle off the plate, Alfred offered it to Arthur before snagging one for himself. He stuffed the entire thing into his mouth in one bite. Arthur's eyes went wide as he watched and took a single delicate bite of his own breakfast with decorum and dignity. If this was going to keep up, he would have to do something about Alfred's table manners.

"So," Alfred said, his mouth full of chewed food. "You wanna go Christmas shopping downtown with me today? Mom and Mattie are going to come. Gilbert and my dad are staying here. They said they have something to do together in my dad's woodshop. Who knows what that is? Anyway, I was thinking you might enjoy seeing the main street. There's a lot of cool little shops and stuff and—"

Arthur held a finger up to Alfred's rapidly moving lips and said "I would love to join you."

"Great! Make sure you dress warm, it's freezing out there today."

"It is winter," Arthur pointed out with a small laugh.

Alfred chuckled. "It is," he agreed. He bent down and kissed Arthur swiftly before turning and heading out the door calling back that they were going to be leaving in ten minutes. Arthur began to dig through his suitcase looking for gloves and a scarf. Just because he wanted to stay warm didn't mean that he couldn't be fashionable as well. So Jones had no regrets about the previous night. Arthur felt a surge of relief course over his entire body. He mentally berated himself for jumping to conclusions as he was wont to do. Next time, he would give Alfred the benefit of the doubt. He licked his lips, remembering their kisses from the night before. It was a memory he would treasure forever.

* * *

"It's supposed to start snowing again any time now," Denise rubbed her mitten-covered hands together and joined Alfred at the store front window display that he was admiring. "Looks like we'll have a white Christmas."

"That sounds lovely," Alfred tore his eyes away from the beautifully decorated window and looked at his mother.

"Anything catching your eye?" She grinned mischievously at him.

Alfred shrugged. "I don't know. Do you need a new scarf?"

Denise sighed and patted her oldest son on the shoulder. "Darling, you are hopeless with Christmas gifts, you know that?"

"I know. I try."

"And every year you get me a scarf…or scented lotion." Denise smiled lovingly at her boy.

"Sorry," Alfred hung his head. "Natalia usually gives me advice and she's on a budget."

"I'm not complaining about the price tag," Denise laughed. "I'm commenting on the lack of originality."

"I'll do better, I promise." Alfred glanced up and down the street. "Where are Arthur and Matt?"

"They're in the candy shop. I think they're both buying the place out for you." Denise smiled up at him. "Come on, tell me more about Arthur while it's just the two of us."

Alfred froze and tried to distract his mother by pointing out some of the store window's holiday ornaments. She declined to get a closer look at them and pulled Alfred over to a snow-covered bench. They brushed off the seats with their mittens and sat down next to each other.

"There's really nothing to tell," Alfred said after a pause.

"Is it serious?"

Alfred hesitated. He didn't want to give the game away, although now the entire plan seemed stupid since they actually were trying to give real dating a go. "I think it is," he finally said.

Nodding, Denise patted his hand. "He's a lovely man."

"I know."

"I would be happy to call him a son," she spoke the words with affection in her tone.

"Mom!" Alfred moaned out. "We just started dating!"

Denise cocked her head and looked directly at her son. "I thought you had been together for four months."

"We have," Alfred covered quickly. "It's just…that's not too long, right? So we're…taking it slow." His voice hitched up on the end.

"You sound like that's a question."

"It's not. We're taking it slow." Alfred spoke firmly, trying to keep his tone in check.

"Okay then," Denise smiled at her son. "I don't mean to pry."

"You always pry mom," Alfred smiled at her.

"I just want you to be happy. Matthew is so happy with Gilbert and I want the same for you. Preferably with Arthur so I can start getting grandchildren," Denise chuckled.

"Mom!" Alfred groaned. He covered his face as his mother laughed beside him. She stopped as Matthew and Arthur approached, each of them laden down with a number of bags bearing the name of the local candy shoppe.

"I think we bought them out Al," Matthew joked as he shook his purchases at his brother.

"You know me," Alfred said, glancing at Arthur. "I love…candy."

Arthur raised a brow at him and said, "You know this sugary stuff is going to put you in an early grave."

"Nah," Alfred waved a hand in dismissal. "Hey Mattie, you wanna hang with mom for a bit, I need Arthur's advice on some gifts."

"Sure Al," Matthew set his bags down and traded places with Alfred. He and his mother began a soft conversation as Alfred and Arthur grasped hands and headed into the closest store.

"I suck at buying gifts," Alfred admitted as they entered.

"And you want my help?" Arthur smirked.

Alfred nodded. "If I get my parents and Matt really good stuff they might get distracted and stop asking me questions about you."

"Your mother is still suspicious?" Arthur's brow creased.

"No," Alfred said, picking up a snowman knick-knack and glancing at it. "She just keeps talking about grandchildren and you know…it's so soon. I mean, we just started dating last night."

"I knew it."

Both men whirled around and came face to face with Matthew who stood before them with his arms crossed over his chest. "I knew it!" He repeated.

Alfred and Arthur had identical looks of panic on their faces and they chanced a quick look at one another. "Mattie?" Alfred said pleadingly. "It's not what it sounds like."

"It sounds like this whole relationship was a fake and now its…real?" Matthew looked at them suspiciously.

Arthur squeezed Alfred's hand and the American found some courage. He looked straight at his twin and the entire story spilled out. How Ivan had dumped him, how he was so ashamed and couldn't face the family as a recently dumped, single man with no prospects. Hiring Arthur. And then Alfred started to tell his brother about how much Arthur meant to him and how they had decided to give their relationship a real chance. "It may have started off as fake Mattie, but it's really real now. I swear. Please don't be mad."

Matthew listened silently during the entire story and then shook his head. "I'm not mad. I'm surprised. I knew something was off but really Al? Hiring a stranger? No offense Arthur."

"None taken."

"I won't tell anyone, not even Gil," Matthew stared at them both. "But you should. You really should come clean to mom and dad. Let them know the kind of pressure they put you under and the result. Maybe she'll back off a little. They deserve to know the truth."

"I know," Alfred said. "I just don't know how."

"Figure it out," Matthew said pointedly. "Anyway, I was just coming to tell you that we're going to pop into the café for sandwiches and you two should come with when you're done in here."

"We'd love to," Arthur said quickly.

"Be right there" Alfred echoed.

"Okay," Matthew nodded. "And really think about telling mom the truth."

"I will."

Matthew turned to leave, hefting his bags with him as he maneuvered through the packed store. "Oh, and Al?" he turned back when he reached the door. "Don't get mom another stupid scarf this year…make an effort?"

"I'll do my best," Alfred muttered.

"I'll help take care of it," Arthur spoke up.

Matthew turned and left, letting a blast of winter air into the warm shop as he exited. Alfred and Arthur stared at each other in a state of shock. "Well, the world didn't come crashing down, did it?" Arthur finally said, trying to lighten the situation.

"Almost," Alfred sounded miserable.

"It will be fine poppet," Arthur rubbed a hand along Alfred's broad shoulders. "We just have to be more careful."

"Maybe he's right," Alfred said. "Maybe I should tell them."

Arthur took a breath and remained as calm as possible. While he certainly didn't want the parents of the man he was beginning to have strong feelings for, know that he was a hired boyfriend, he would stand by Alfred no matter what. "That's your choice darling," he said finally. "I'll support you in whatever you want to do."

"Thanks Artie," Alfred leaned down and pecked the Englishman on the cheek. "You're the best."

"Anytime," Arthur said. Although he had an uneasy feeling beginning to grow in the pit of his stomach.

"Okay, now help me pick out something that _isn't_ a scarf and we'll go meet mom and Mattie at the café. They have really good burgers." Alfred attempted a charming smile.

"I'm not really a fan of hamburgers," Arthur said distractedly.

"They have good salads too, I think," Alfred began to pull Arthur through the store. "I don't really know, I don't eat a lot of salad."

"I'd never know," Arthur smiled affectionately. "You're very fit."

"All for you babe," Alfred winked. "Hey," he held up a bottle of cherry scented lotion. "What about this?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless, my love." He turned away and could feel Alfred following him to the back of the store where there was a small jewelry counter. He didn't see the humungous smile plastered on Alfred's face at the word 'love.' The American smiled for the rest of the day.


	8. Holiday Prep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little NSFW in this chapter...

**Chapter Eight: Holiday Prep**

The mystery of what Gilbert and Joseph had been doing in the wood shop all afternoon was solved when the four of them pulled into the driveway that evening. The holiday lights were all burning, but something new had been added to the yard. A large wooden sleigh had been placed under the large oak tree at the front of the property. It looked almost big enough to sit in and it had been festively painted.

Denise exclaimed with delight when she saw it and ran from the car into the yard. She was hopping around in the snow that had begun to fall clapping her hands and waving at her boys to come closer. Alfred and Matthew trekked over to her and Arthur followed a little behind.

"I've been asking your father to build me one of these for the yard for six years," she said happily. "Looks like Gilbert finally got him in gear!"

The front door opened and the men in question came out to join them. Joseph gave his wife a kiss and asked her how she liked the surprise. "I couldn't have done it without Gilbert honey," he said, smiling at his future son-in-law.

Arthur watched the affectionate exchange and felt the beginnings of envy in the pit of his stomach. He wished that he could have a family like this to belong to at Christmastime. He supposed that for now, he _did_ belong here, but it still felt awkward and fake. Arthur knew that it was the lie still hanging over them. He made up his mind to try and convince Alfred to tell his family the truth about their relationship. He didn't think it would make any difference in the long run. And he agreed with Matthew that Alfred's parents needed to see the kind of pressure their son was under to form a lasting relationship. If Arthur had anything to say about it, then this one would _definitely_ last.

They all congratulated Gilbert and Joseph on their Christmas surprise and went inside for dinner, getting out of the cold. As they hung up their jackets in the front closet, Alfred and Arthur found themselves alone. Alfred leaned down and brushed some snowflakes from Arthur's blonde hair. "Hey," he whispered. "Thanks for your help today," he smiled at the Englishman.

"Not a problem," Arthur assured him. He felt himself pursing his lips slightly and wishing that Alfred would kiss him. The American chuckled, as if he knew exactly what Arthur was thinking. He leant down and pressed his mouth to Arthur's. They kissed sweetly, their eyes gently closed, but their hands remaining at their sides.

"Excuse you," Gilbert called from the doorway. He was hovering behind them and laughed as the two men jumped apart. "Just wanted to let you know that your mom would like some help in the kitchen Al."

"I'm coming," Alfred said in a grunt.

"I bet you are," Gilbert laughed as he sauntered away.

"Shut up!" Alfred called after his friend. He turned back to Arthur and said, "If you go up and feed Nick, then I can meet you in the kitchen. My mom won't make you cook, so don't worry. You're a guest."

"I'm willing to help," Arthur said looking affronted.

"Yeah," Alfred grinned. "But maybe it's best if you just had some wine and hung out." He winked at Arthur. "I've seen you cook, remember."

"Oh shut it," Arthur grumbled good-naturedly. He gave Alfred another quick kiss and went upstairs to feed the cat and change his sweater for dinner.

* * *

"Alfred darling, please pass the potatoes," Denise said from her end of the table. Her oldest son obliged and handed her the steaming bowl of buttery spuds.

Wine and food were flowing freely and so was the conversation. Everyone was in a wonderfully festive mood. There was laughter everywhere and Denise had Christmas carols playing on the stereo speakers. Arthur couldn't ever remember having such a wonderful holiday. He never wanted this to end.

"Arthur," Denise called out to him. "I could use your help tomorrow if you're up for it."

"Anything," he found himself saying.

"Don't promise her before you know what it is," Alfred whispered to him, but his voice carried.

"I heard that," his mother admonished. "You make it sound like I'll rope him into something horrible!"

"If you want help making more cookies, I'm afraid I'm not your man," Arthur said honestly.

"No," she said, taking a sip of wine. "That's Gilbert and Matthew's job in the morning. I'd like your help wrapping some of the presents," she said. "You seem like you're a perfectionist and that's what I need. Whenever I ask Alfie to help, he uses too much paper and the gifts all look like a five year old wrapped them."

Arthur smiled. "In that case, I'm perfect for the job."

"Excellent," she said happily. "Now, what are you all doing for dinner tomorrow? Your father and I have an engagement at the Vargas' house for the evening, so you boys are on your own."

"We're going out tomorrow, the four of us," Alfred piped up.

"Like a double date," Matthew said, his voice a little sly as he looked at his brother.

"Yeah," Alfred said loudly. "A double date cause, you know, we're all dating…so yeah," he finished awkwardly. Matthew rolled his eyes at Alfred's pathetic attempt to be normal.

The table when quiet and everyone stared at Alfred who laughed awkwardly and ducked his reddening face downward. Arthur reached under the table and patted the lawyer's hand. "You tried," he whispered affectionately.

Everyone went back to their meals and Arthur felt his heart go out to Alfred, who remained unusually quiet for the rest of the meal. This was actually much harder than either of them thought.

* * *

Alfred twisted under the sheets and moaned, holding his fist to his mouth trying to quell the sounds. Arthur was straddling him, one leg on either side of Alfred's narrow hips. Their erections were pulsing together and the friction was almost too much to bear. Arthur's perfect lips were running along Alfred's neck and jaw, teasing the American with the feather-light touches.

He had never been so turned on and so frustrated in his entire life. It was amazing and exhilarating and sort of awful. He wanted more, so much more. They both still had their underwear on, but when Alfred looked down, he could see the tent in Arthur's boxer briefs and he almost lost it.

He bucked his hips up, begging, needing. Arthur ground down on him and their penises slid against one another, separated only by thin layers of silky fabric. Above him, Arthur moaned and reached his hand down to grasp them both in his slender hand.

Arthur had told him that he wasn't really ready to take things further just yet, and while Alfred understood, he was also a little sad about that. His relationships in the past had always moved at a frantic pace. Sleeping together on the first date and for a while after. He just assumed that was how things progressed in this day and age. But Arthur was different. A little stuffy and old-world and Alfred loved that about him. He was more than willing to wait for the main event as long as it was with Arthur someday.

For now, they were just frotting, mimicking the motions of sex without actual penetration. It was actually incredibly hot and Alfred was so turned on that his vision was actually blurring a little. He felt Arthur coax him out of his underwear, so his tip was sticking through the slit in his drawers. He watched the Englishman's hand, holding both of them together, rubbing incessantly and causing Alfred to cry out once more.

When they both finally came, shooting ribbons onto on another, Alfred collapsed back against the pillows, completely spent and feeling boneless. Arthur rolled off of him, his leg still swung across Alfred's thighs. The American lawyer pulled his little English lover close to his side and breathed out heavily. "That was amazing," Alfred spoke into the darkness.

"I have to agree," Arthur murmured into Alfred's sweaty shoulder. "I do hope we didn't wake anyone," Arthur worried suddenly.

"Its fine," Alfred said sleepily. "If we were too loud, Gilbert would have knocked on the door and said something about it."

"Something crude, no doubt," Arthur said.

"You already know him so well," Alfred joked. He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Arthur's forehead. The Englishman's hair was damp from the exertion. He tasted like sweat and Alfred could feel himself twitching again. He willed himself to calm down. They really had to get to sleep. Despite his feelings below the belt, he honestly didn't think he could take another round tonight anyway. He was completely exhausted.

They cuddled deep into one another's arms and slowly drifted off to sleep. Their dreams were pleasant and filled with erotic images of what they each planned to do next time. Both of them woke up in an awkward predicament. Alfred decided in the morning that there was only one way to fix their situation and they had barely opened their eyes before they were in one another's embrace again. It was a lovely way to wake up, Alfred thought.

* * *

The next afternoon, Arthur found himself helping Denise wrap presents in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Nick had followed them and was happily curled up on a piece of wayward paper that had fallen onto the floor. He could see Alfred and Joseph through the window, on the front lawn. Apparently they were putting up a few last minute strings of lights. The snow had picked up during the night and there were fluffy, white drifts of the stuff as far as Arthur could see.

He turned back to the task at hand and began to carefully fold the paper around a hardcover book that was meant for Matthew. Something about Canadian hockey teams. Arthur thought it was an odd choice for the soft-spoken man, but he trusted that Matthew's family knew him best. Next to him, Denise was curling some ribbons with the blade of a pair of scissors and it gave an artfully perfect effect. Arthur commented on the creativity of the task.

"I always try to make the presents as beautiful as I can," she said. "I think they look better under the tree with a little something extra. At least they help detract from Alfred's wrapping jobs," she smiled at Arthur.

"Well, despite the wrapping, I think you'll be very pleased this year," Arthur hinted. "Not a scarf or bottle of lotion in sight under the tree."

"Thanks to you, I'm sure," she laughed. "I do love my son but he gives such predictable gifts." She paused and admired the finished product of the ribbons. "What about you? What do you usually get your mother?"

Arthur stilled. He froze in place and then carefully set the present he was wrapping back on the bed. "I don't really speak to my family," he finally croaked.

Denise turned to him sharply. "What? You don't speak?"

Arthur shook his head. "They weren't very accommodating when I came out. They are against the lifestyle you see. So I wasn't welcome there any longer. I do have one younger brother who still emails and sometimes calls me, but that's all. I sent him a video game this year, but I used a fake name on the return address so that my parents wouldn't throw it away when it arrived at their house."

She looked stricken. "They would do that?"

"They don't want me to 'corrupt' Peter," he said. "Their words. As if my presence could make the lad gay. I just don't understand it."

Denise moved to his side and wrapped her short arms around Arthur's shoulders. He was surprised to find that a few tears had escaped the corners of his eyes. She held him tightly and he took in the scent of her perfume, heavily applied. "Well darling," she said quietly. "You are always welcome here you know. Anytime. I do mean that."

Arthur nodded and said, "Thank you."

"It's not just something I'm saying," she pulled away a little and looked into Arthur's green eyes. "I love my boys and I even love Gilbert as my own, little bastard that he is." They both laughed at that. "I would be happy to have you as one of my sons as well. Even the way things have been with your relationship, I don't hold it against either of you. You're always welcome in my home."

"What do you mean?" Arthur said, confusedly.

Denise stepped away smiling and went back to wrapping a new gift. "Oh," she waved her hand. "I know Alfie hired you."

Arthur went white. "What?" he practically shouted. Arthur began to panic. Had Matthew broken his promise and told? How had she found out?

She laughed and looked up at him. "I'm not as dotty as my son thinks. He can't pull one over on me." She folded wrapping paper around a small box and creased it, making the edges perfect. "When I called him at the beginning of the month he was so excited to be bringing _Ivan_ to meet us. And then he shows up with you. It just didn't fit. I also know that my son can be a little frivolous with his spending and he doesn't always think things through. Did he find you through an agency?" She was speaking as though the entire situation was perfectly normal. Arthur was stunned. He figured that it was for the best to come clean.

"No," he said finally. "He placed an ad online and I saw it. I needed a place to live because I was being evicted. Actually, Nick and I were both being evicted by my horrid landlord. I was desperate and it seemed harmless." He began to explain the entire story, starting with him finding Nick in the alley. He spoke of how he and Alfred had met, what had happened with Ivan and how they were really helping each other out for the holiday season. He spoke for a long time and Denise calmly listened, all the while continuing to wrap presents. "We actually decided a few days ago to give it a try, for real," he finished.

When he went quiet, Denise set down her latest piece of art and looked at him. "Arthur, I understand that I sometimes pressure my boys but I really just want them to be happy. I never met this Ivan but I can tell he must be a terrible man to break up with my Alfie for a job so close to the holidays." She took a deep breath. "My baby has had some very bad luck with men and I don't want to see him hurt again. That being said, I've never seen him happier than when he is with you."

"Really?" Arthur forced himself to look at her.

"Truly," she nodded. "He always changes bits and pieces of himself in relationships which never works. Eventually the other person finds out something about who you really are that they don't like and then it's too late. He brought a boy named Kiku home a few years ago and while I liked the young man, my Alfie seemed like a completely different person around him and _that_ I didn't like. I don't see that with you. He's relaxed and acting like himself. All I want is for my boy to be happy and not have to put on a mask to keep a man interested."

"I like him," Arthur said. "I like him just as he is."

"And that is a good thing," she smiled. "I think you two will be very happy together." She came around the bed and hugged Arthur once more. He was a bit taken aback, not used to so much physical contact, but he put his arms around her once more and tried to relax. When she pulled back, she smiled up at him and said, "Now that you two are dating for real, maybe we could talk about when you're going to get engaged now?"

Arthur's face broke out into splotches of red and Denise laughed at him. "I'm kidding sweetie. I'll try to push less, but I can't promise. I do want grandkids you know."

Arthur attempted to calm himself for a moment. After a beat he said, "I think I would like children someday as well."

"You're the perfect man for my Alfie then," she decided. They laughed and went back to their tasks. This time, Denise asked probing motherly questions about Arthur and he gladly responded. All thoughts of fake relationships, and disowning parents taken from their minds. It was a rather pleasant way to spend the afternoon. Arthur just hoped that Alfred wouldn't be upset that the cat was out of the proverbial bag.


	9. Things Fall Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Ivan is coming back to make some trouble but don't worry, this will NOT be a RusAme ending. I'm a USUK/UKUS girl all the way!  
> Chun Yan is Fem!China

**Chapter Nine: Things Fall Apart**

While Arthur had been getting the third degree and eventually cracking with Denise, Alfred had been enduring something similar with his father. Joseph had been handing Alfred untangled lights and passing them up to where Alfred was perched on a ladder in the snow. The metal was cold and the ladder kept swaying from the wind and being on uneven ground, but they were managing.

"That Arthur sure is a different fellow," Joseph said casually to his son.

"What?" Alfred looked down to where his dad was standing next to him in the snow. "Like, you think he's weird? He's not weird, he's British."

"I picked up on that," Joseph said drily. "What I meant was, that he is different from all the other guys that you've brought home in the past. He's nice."

"Some of my other boyfriends have been nice," Alfred pouted.

"They were all trying to change you," his father said sternly. "You don't need that. When the relationship is right, you don't need to pretend you're someone that you aren't."

Alfred looped a strand of lights around one of the lower hanging branches, but he ducked his head a little in embarrassment. "I know," he said. "I just kind of found out that most guys don't like who I am."

"They're just after you for the good Jones' genes," his father joked. "I remember those days."

"Ew, dad," Alfred laughed.

"I'm just saying that Arthur doesn't seem like that. You're acting like yourself again and it's good to see." His father went quiet for a moment. "How did you two meet?"

"You know how we met," Alfred climbed down off of the ladder and his boots crunched in the fresh snow.

"I know what you told us," Joseph said. "I'd really like the real story. So," he looked directly at his son. "Was it a service? An agency or something?"

"You mean did we meet online and are embarrassed about it?" Alfred pretended confusion.

"You know what I'm asking. Look," his father sighed. "There's no shame in it. Your Uncle Robbie did the same thing for my wedding. He paid for a professional girl to come with him to the wedding. We all knew, but no one would say anything. This time, I'm going to say something."

"You think I hired a fake boyfriend?" Alfred's voice went up a notch.

"I have my suspicions," Joseph said. "You're stories don't quite add up and you seemed very nervous around each other when you first arrived. That's changed though. You're natural and comfortable now. It's the way I'd want to see you in a relationship, to be honest. You can tell me."

Alfred sighed and closed his eyes for a second. He knew that it was time to come clean. Apparently his family wasn't as easy to fool as he had thought. "It was Natalia's idea," he finally said. His father nodded and listened while Alfred recounted the whole story. He didn't leave anything out. When Alfred was finished, his father nodded and said, "Well I hope you decide to ask this boy out for real. He's good for you, and I like him."

"Really?" Alfred asked. "You think that would be a good idea?"

"I think it would be a great idea," Joseph said honestly. "I haven't seen you this happy in years. You're not pretending to be someone that you aren't and Arthur seems to like you just the way you are. That kind of love doesn't come along all the time."

"You don't think I'm pathetic for hiring him?" Alfred's voice was small.

His father laughed. "Not at all. In fact, before I met your mother, I hired a girl from another school who was friends with my cousin to be my date for Prom. I've been there too son. The Jones' good looks sometimes don't work and you have to think outside the box."

"Thanks dad," Alfred said gratefully. They leant in toward each other and slapped one another on the back in a little show of affection. His father suggested that they go in for some hot chocolate and Alfred grabbed the ladder and trudged through the snow behind his dad. He was pleasantly surprised about how his family was reacting to the fact that he had tried to fool them. Now all he had to do was tell his mom.

* * *

"I told your mother," Arthur said once they were alone in their room, getting ready for dinner out that evening.

Alfred spun around and looked at him with surprise. "What?"

"I couldn't help it," Arthur looked stricken. "She wheedled it out of me! She knew anyway," he said, hanging his head.

"Was she mad?" Alfred worried.

"No," Arthur assured him. "She was happy for us. I told her that we're trying to make a real go of it and then she talked about grandkids again."

"Of course she did," Alfred sighed. He still laughed a little thinking about his mom and her persistent tactics. "Well, that's it then, everybody knows."

"What? Really?" Arthur looked at him.

"Yup," Alfred said resignedly. "My dad got it out of me today. And Mattie caught us yesterday. Gil's known since we walked in the door our first night. So, that's everyone. Our secret is out."

"And the world didn't end," Arthur said to him. "So that's a good thing." He paused and stepped closer to Alfred. "You're not mad at me."

"I don't think I could ever be mad at you," Alfred said truthfully. "I just don't see that happening."

They pulled their arms around each other's waist and shared a sweet, soft kiss before they broke apart and went back to getting ready for the evening. It was almost a relief that they didn't have to pretend any longer. This was going to be a wonderful holiday and they were going to spend it with each other. Neither man could think of anything better than that.

* * *

Since Alfred and Matthew's parents didn't live very far from Main Street, the four of them decided to walk to the restaurant that evening instead of risking the drive on the icy streets. As Gilbert pointed out, that way, they could all drink. The walk through the neighborhood was peaceful. Gilbert and Matthew took the lead, slipping and sliding along the icy sidewalks in front. They were laughing with each other and both Arthur and Alfred hoped that one day they would be that happy with each other.

Alfred's gloved hand was grasping Arthur's and they picked their way slowly behind the other two. Occasionally Arthur would slide a bit and grab onto Alfred's arm to steady himself. Alfred liked it when that happened, because it made him feel as though he was Arthur's hero. They all exclaimed over the decorations of the other houses as they walked past. Some were tasteful and others were over the top. They liked them all. It was festive and cheerful.

Main Street was bustling when they turned the corner and emerged onto the street. People in large winter coats were winding along the sidewalks, shopping, laughing, talking and eating chestnuts from bags that the vendor in the square was selling. When they reached the popular little trendy restaurant, it was packed. Matthew went inside to tell the hostess that they had a reservation and then joined the others back on the sidewalk. There wasn't room inside to stand. He announced that they would be seated within ten minutes or so.

They passed the time making small talk and wondering what everyone would be receiving on Christmas morning. Tomorrow was the twenty-forth and as the holiday was rapidly approaching, their excitement was as well. Alfred boasted that he had picked up amazing gifts this year and both Gilbert and Matthew rolled their eyes and laughed at him.

Soon enough, the young hostess poked her head out into the cold and announced that their table was ready. They all gratefully followed her into the warmth of the building. Weaving in and out of tables, they made their way to their seats, all the while, Alfred wouldn't let go of Arthur's hand. He even pulled out Arthur's chair for him, which made the Englishman blush profusely.

While they perused the menu, they kept up their chatter, talking of the holidays and of Matthew and Gilbert's upcoming nuptials. Gilbert exclaimed aloud when he read that there was schnitzel on the menu and promptly closed his, setting it on the table, his mind made up. The rest of them kept looking and as far as they were all concerned, everything looked delicious. They ordered drinks and appetizers and the evening was on its way.

They toasted and laughed and drank a lot of wine. When their main courses finally arrived, they all dug in with gusto. They had only taken a few bites each when a shadow fell over their table, standing to Alfred's left. He paused, his food halfway to his mouth and looked up. He was glad he wasn't chewing because what he saw made his lips fall open in surprise.

"Ivan," he choked out. "What are you doing here?"

His ex-boyfriend loomed over their table, taking in the three people sitting with Alfred. From behind the hulking Russian, a beautiful young Chinese woman stood wearing a black shift dress and watching them. "You always talked about your hometown, so Chun-Yan and I came up for the weekend to see it," Ivan indicated the lady behind him with a wave of his large hand.

"You're just here, coincidentally?" Gilbert spoke up, his eyes narrowed.

"This is Ivan?" Arthur leaned forward and whispered to Alfred.

"I don't believe we've met," Ivan turned his gaze to Arthur and the Englishman felt unsettled.

"I'm Arthur," he said. He didn't want to tell this man his last name. Something about the large Russian made him uneasy.

"You must be Alfred's rebound," Ivan said coldly. "Good luck with him, he's impossible to train."

"I don't intend on training him," Arthur finally found his anger. "He's not a dog."

Alfred was strangely quiet throughout everything. His eyes were fixed on the beautiful woman at Ivan's side. Finally, he gathered his courage. "Ivan, who is she?"

Ivan turned and smiled at the lady with him and then looked back at Alfred. "My girlfriend."

Alfred's eyes were wide. "But, you're gay," he said softly. His face was a mask of confusion.

"I never specified," Ivan said. "Besides, I can't very well move to Moscow with a man, can I?"

"You're taking her to Moscow with you?" Alfred sounded broken and hurt.

"Of course," Ivan said easily. "We've known each other for many years and we… _reconnected_ when I was finished with you."

Alfred slumped in his chair and Arthur reached out for his boyfriend's hand. He was about to say something scathing when Gilbert stood up to his full height. He was shorter than Ivan, for sure, but there was something menacing in the German man's bright red eyes. "You need to leave. Now." Gilbert spat.

The two men eyed each other for a moment before Ivan turned back to Alfred with a smile on his face. "It was good to see you Alfred," he said. Then he reached for the lady's hand and the two of them walked away, exiting the restaurant.

Alfred pushed his steak away from him and sat back in his chair. He was shaking and trying not to cry. Gilbert slowly sat back down in his chair and looked at Matthew whose sole attention was on his brother. "Al," he said. "What can we do?"

"Nothing," Alfred whispered. "I'm not hungry anymore."

Arthur paled. He knew from his few weeks with the American that Alfred had a substantial appetite. If he wasn't eating, something was seriously wrong. Arthur squeezed Alfred's hand but the other man's fingers remained limp in his grasp.

The rest of the meal was subdued and quiet and Alfred didn't eat or drink anything else. When they finally left, he looked as though he wanted nothing more than to be left alone. Arthur hated seeing that look on the usually happy man's face. It broke his heart.


	10. Falling Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short Chapter, sorry! Also, I don't want people to think I hate Ivan, I actually really love him. But I need him to be the villain in this story. Sorry to anyone who loves sweet baby Russia. He's a good guy I think, but in this he's kind of a douche. Sorry!

**Chapter Ten: Falling Apart**

The walk home was fast and quiet. No one was talking or looking at the decorations this time. When they arrived at the Jones' house, Alfred excused himself and went upstairs to his and Arthur's room, slamming the door behind him. Arthur stood dejectedly in the hallway with his jacket half off of his shoulders.

"Don't worry about it," Matthew told him. "Alfie always takes breakups hard and it probably didn't help to see Ivan with someone else so soon after they had ended things."

Arthur wanted to scream, _'But Alfred has moved on too! 'Hasn't he?'_ Arthur's thoughts were bleak, but he dutifully followed Matthew and Gilbert into the kitchen where they made hot cocoa. Gilbert added peppermint schnapps to both his and Arthur's and the Englishman took the beverage gratefully. They tried to talk, but the conversation kept going back to what had happened at dinner. Matthew and Gilbert tried to ease Arthur's mind, but nothing was working. The Englishman couldn't help but feel as though something bad was going to come of all this.

He excused himself and walked to the hall so he could go upstairs to bed when the doorbell let out a happy little chime. He paused, startled for a moment before he went to answer the door. Matthew and Gilbert came into the hall and peeked around him. On the front porch stood Ivan. He was wearing his expensive wool coat and a fur lined hat that was very Russian and fit him perfectly. Arthur stepped back, surprised and Ivan took it as an invitation to come into the house.

He stepped over the threshold and looked at the three men before him, completely unintimidated. "Is Alfred home?" he asked politely.

"No," Gilbert said sharply.

From the top of the stairs a creak came as Alfred began to walk down the steps. He had obviously been roused by the doorbell. "What are you doing here Ivan?" Alfred questioned him.

"We need to talk," the Russian man was now ignoring everyone else in the room, he had eyes only for Alfred.

The lawyer descended the stairs and came to a stop next to Arthur, who still hadn't been able to speak. "Fine, talk," Alfred's voice was clipped.

"Privately," Ivan said. His voice was sweet like honey and very seductive sounding.

Alfred seemed to melt and went to the front closet, removing his jacket. "Fine, you have five minutes."

The two of them exited the house and stood on the front porch, shutting the door hard behind them. Gilbert and Matthew came to stand behind Arthur and tugged on his arms, trying to pull him into the kitchen. "You don't want to watch this," Gilbert insisted.

Arthur allowed himself to be dragged away for a moment. After sipping at the dregs of his spiked cocoa that he had left on the counter, he looked up at the other two men and said, "I have to know what's going on." They didn't say anything, but they let him walk back into the living room where he stood by the light of the tree and listened through the windowpane. What he heard, broke his heart.

* * *

Alfred had kicked off his shoes upstairs and now he was standing in the cold on the porch in just his socks. He could feel the chill seeping into this toes and it was uncomfortable. He wasn't planning on being outside for very long though, so he was planning to endure it. "What do you want?" he looked hard at his ex-boyfriend.

"I may have made a mistake," Ivan said seriously. "I think we should try again."

"You just paraded a beautiful woman in front of me less than an hour ago and now you want me back?" Alfred scoffed.

"She is a way to pass the time, but she means nothing. I want to be with the one I love for the holidays and that is you," Ivan's voice sounded sincere.

"So you introduced her as your girlfriend to me, but she 'means nothing?' Like how you said I meant nothing to you?" Alfred was hopping from foot to foot to shake the cold from his limbs but he was still glaring at Ivan's face.

"As I said, I made a mistake," Ivan said softly in his wonderful accent. "I saw you tonight and forgot how pretty you are." He took a step toward Alfred and cupped the American's cheek in his huge, gloved hand. "Remember how good it was between us?" He leaned his head down and pressed his lips to Alfred's.

The American was frozen, but after a second, he jumped back and pushed Ivan away. "I'm seeing someone else now! I'm with Arthur. And I'm not going to leave him or cheat on him so you should just go back to your _girlfriend_ , wherever she is."

"She's in the car," Ivan waved his hand to an idling vehicle at the street corner.

"You brought her here while you were trying to get me back? What kind of a person does that?" Alfred shouted. His anger was rising and he wasn't going to hold back. He opened his mouth to scream at Ivan and suddenly the front door banged open. He saw Arthur streaking down the porch, holding nothing but Nick's cat carrier and not wearing a jacket. Arthur made it down the walk and around the corner before Alfred unfroze and came to his senses. "Arthur!" he called. He pushed past Ivan and ran onto the walk, the ice seeping through his socks as he ran.


	11. Flight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mild violence warning. A punch is thrown.

**Chapter Eleven: Flight**

Arthur ran blindly through the streets lugging the heavy cat carrier with him. Nick was bouncing around inside and yowling his displeasure. Arthur had seen the look on Ivan's face through the window and when Ivan and Alfred's lips had touched he had snapped. He ran upstairs and grabbed the only thing he really cared about, his cat. He didn't even stop for his jacket. He just knew that he had to leave. He had to get away from all of this. Of course Alfred still loved his ex-boyfriend. They had been together for so long. Arthur was heartbroken thinking that all he had been to the American was a decoy. Their relationship had meant nothing after all. So much for Christmas miracles.

Stepping out onto the Main Street Arthur lost himself in the crowd. Some people stared at him—a lost looking man with no coat, carrying a screaming cat, but most just went on their way. He wandered down the street and vaguely remembered that there was a train station in town. He just wasn't sure where it was. He came to a stop in front of a store where a young lady was ringing a bell for donations. She stopped with her noises and stepped toward him. "Arthur?" she said, her voice full of concern. "Are you okay?"

He stared at her blankly before recognition set it. "Liz?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, I met you the other night at the Jones' Open House Party. Are you all right?" she asked again.

"I need to get to the train station, it's an emergency," he told her.

She looked serious, and her mouth curled into a frown. "Okay," she said. "My relief is actually inside getting a cup of coffee, he should be right out. I can drive you there if you want. It's too cold to walk."

Arthur was grateful that she didn't ask questions, he simply nodded his thanks. In a few minutes they were buckled into Liz's car and making their way through the snow covered streets in town. Nick's carrier was perched on his lap and both Arthur and the cat were much warmer now and happy to know they would soon be leaving this entire mess behind them.

* * *

Alfred had made it to the end of the block before he knew that he would have to go back and at least get some shoes. His toes were numb and freezing cold. He limped up the walk and back onto his porch. Gilbert and Matthew were standing there, and so was Ivan. The Russian man opened his mouth to speak and Alfred lost it. He got right up to Ivan and pulled his fist back. The punch was hard and accurate. Ivan actually lost his balance and reached up to check his jaw. He looked at Alfred as though he didn't have any idea who the American was. "Get off of my property before I hit you again," Alfred said, his fists clenched.

Ivan glared at his ex and spat, "He deserves you. You were never good enough for me." The large man stomped off of the porch and into the night. They all watched him get into his car and speed away. There was someone in the passenger seat and Alfred knew that it was the Chinese woman. He felt bad for her. Ivan was a jerk.

Alfred turned to his brother and Gilbert, his eyes pricking with tears. "What happened?" he asked them.

Matthew shrugged. "I don't know. Arthur said he was going to come out there and talk to you, but I'm guessing he didn't"

"No," Alfred confirmed.

"He was watching from the window," Gilbert spoke up. "I could see him from the kitchen. All of a sudden, he ran out of there and up the stairs. Then he came back down with the cat in its little cage and ran out the door."

Alfred slapped his hand to his forehead and groaned. "What?" Matthew asked. "What happened?"

"Ivan kissed me," Alfred admitted.

"And you let him?" Matthew shrieked.

"No," Alfred said. "I don't know. It took me by surprise. I pushed him away."

"After how long?" Gilbert narrowed his eyes.

"A minute," Alfred looked at the floor in shame. "Shit."

"You have to fix this Al," Matthew said after a moment.

"I know," Alfred groaned. "Where did he go?"

Both Matthew and Gilbert shrugged. "It's not like he told us as he ran away," Gilbert pointed out.

A crunch sounded in the snow behind them and Alfred turned. "Arthur," he cried out.

His parents looked up at their sons and had a worried expression on their faces. "Is everything all right?" Denise asked, her voice filled with concern. Alfred promptly burst into tears.

* * *

After the whole story had been told, Denise allowed herself to scold her oldest son for exactly one minute before she pulled him close and hugged him tightly. The others looked on until finally, Gilbert said, "So what are we going to do?"

"I think I know where he went," Alfred said glumly. "It's the only place."

"Where, son?" Joseph asked.

"The train station." Alfred's voice was small.

"Well," Denise said, "then there's no time to waste. But first, I have to get you something. You're going to need it, I promise." She quickly ran up the stairs and was gone for a moment before re-entering the room. "This was your grandmother's engagement ring." Denise said. "I think that before the night is over, you'll find some use for it."

Alfred hugged his mother and felt a tear slip from his eyes when his father's arms joined them. Soon enough Matthew and Gilbert were involved the large family hug. "Let's go get your boy Al," Gilbert shouted. They all smiled and made their way to the car. The train station wasn't that far away and there might still be time. Alfred had to make this right. He needed Arthur like he needed air and he wasn't going to stop until the Englishman took him back.


	12. Christmas Miracles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There is some serious fluff ahead :)

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Christmas Miracles**

Considering that tomorrow night was Christmas Eve, the train station was unusually busy. Liz had dropped him at the front of the building and asked if he wanted her to wait with him. He had declined and thanked her for the ride. She had looked worried as she had driven away. There were some twinkling lights and festive wreaths hung here and there inside the warm station house. Arthur admired the classic decorations and felt a pang. He could see couples nearby him kissing as they walked to the platform with their tickets. He would be buying a ticket for one and would have no one to kiss as he departed. Arthur sniffed and wiped away a tear.

He made his way to the ticket counter and waited in the large line for his turn. When he stepped up to the window, he placed an order for a one-way ticket back to the city. The teller was cheerful and cooed over Nick. She was wearing earrings that looked like Christmas ornaments and had a headband with reindeer antlers in her hair. Arthur tried to smile at her, but he failed.

He walked away from the window glancing at his ticket. His train was leaving in ten minutes. He decided that he may as well go out onto the platform to wait. He pushed open the large glass doors and walked into a place by the trains. He stood, stock still, holding Nick's carrier, tears streaming down his face.

* * *

Alfred and his family reached the train station and they all piled out of the car, leaving it idling at the curb. They rushed inside and looked around, but Arthur was nowhere to be seen. Glancing up at the large electronic board that announced the trains, they saw that the next train to the city was leaving in about five minutes.

"Al," Matthew tugged on his brother's arm. He pointed to the windows that went to the train platform. Arthur was just visible in the crowd and Alfred took off at a run through the station. He got to the doors and was immediately stopped by a uniformed man who insisted that he needed a ticket to get onto the platform.

Alfred cried out and tried to bang on the windows, insisting that he didn't have a ticket, nor did he have the time to wait in line. He was just about to give up hope when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see the beautiful woman who had been with Ivan earlier in the evening. "Chun-Yan, right?" he asked in confusion.

She nodded, her silky hair falling over her shoulders. "Here," she held out a ticket to Alfred. "Take mine. It's the least I can do."

Alfred didn't hesitate, he grabbed the woman of whom he had been so jealous of only a few hours before into his arms and spun her around quickly. She looked startled, but she laughed as he set her back down. "I'll bring this right back to you," he promised.

He rushed up to the uniformed man and proudly presented the ticket to him. He glanced at Chun-Yan over Alfred's shoulder and she nodded, still smiling. The guard shrugged and pretended to look at the ticket before waving Alfred through. "Have a nice trip," he winked as the American plowed through the doors onto the chilly platform.

* * *

The shrill whistle of the train sounded and Arthur figured that he may as well board now. He wanted to try and get a seat by the window. He picked up Nick's carrier and whispered something soothing to the aggravated feline. He was just about to take a step when he heard Alfred's voice. "Arthur?"

Arthur turned and his eyes widened in shock. Alfred stood before him on the platform. He was wearing mismatched boots and his hair was a mess but he was there and he was gorgeous. Arthur hardly dared to hope. "Go away Alfred," he said, but the venom wasn't in his voice.

"No," Alfred took a step toward him. "I am so sorry for what happened tonight. It wasn't what it looked like."

"It looked like you were kissing Ivan." Arthur's eyes narrowed. "I know what I saw."

" _He_ kissed _me,_ " Alfred insisted. "I know it looked like I was okay with it but I wasn't. He surprised me. I pushed him right off."

"You did?" Arthur didn't know if he should believe him, but Alfred looked so sincere.

"Yeah," Alfred said. "And after you ran away, I punched him in the face." He puffed up with pride at the memory.

"You what?" Arthur was aghast. "You can't go around punching people Alfred! You're a lawyer, you know that."

"I can when they assault me," Alfred pointed out. "He kissed me and I didn't want him to. So I can punch him. I'm pretty sure that's how it works." He grinned and stepped toward Arthur again. "Please forgive me and come home."

"I don't know," Arthur mumbled. By now, other travelers were watching them intently. They were creating quite a scene. It made Arthur a tad uncomfortable. He could see the rest of the Jones' family and Gilbert through the windows of the station, all clumped together and watching them.

"Please," Alfred begged. "We all want you back. Me most of all." Suddenly he was fumbling in the pocket of his jacket and before Arthur knew what was happening, Alfred was down on one knee in the middle of the platform before him. The onlookers all looked excited and began to titter amongst themselves. "Arthur Kirkland," Alfred lifted his hand and displayed an ornate, antique ring. "I make really terrible decisions in relationships. But I think that right now, I'm making the right one. You let me be who I am and you don't try to change me. I know it hasn't been that long, but I know that I need you in my life. I want you and I love you and I can't imagine not having you around. Please, say you'll marry me?"

Arthur was frozen. His hand holding Nick's cage was shaking rapidly and he blinked once before he allowed himself to break into a smile. "Oh love," he whispered. "Of course I will."

As the other travelers began to applaud the Christmas engagement that they had just witnessed, they crashed together into each other's arms. Arthur still clutched Nick's carrier and they embraced as best they could with the cat between them. Their lips met and they were lost in one another. They could hear Gilbert whooping from inside the station. They turned and looked at the Jones' who were all crying and clapping and jumping up and down. Alfred gave his family a thumbs up and went in for another kiss. Arthur melted into his arms. Everything was perfect and this was certainly the best Christmas ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story isn't quite over. There is a very short epilogue that I will be uploading tomorrow for the holiday.


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas to all who celebrate and hopes for a wonderful 2018 to all!!

**Chapter Thirteen: Epilogue**

Christmas morning dawned early that year. The sun was hidden behind snow clouds, but the glistening white expanse was enough to make sure that the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. When they had arrived back home after the train station, the two of them had fallen into bed where they tried a few new things. Alfred wanted them to be married right away and so Arthur decided to make his fiancée wait for a few things. The next day, after the holiday was over, they would be headed to the courthouse to make everything official. Alfred had already booked a bed and breakfast in town for them to spend their first night together as husbands and they were both looking forward to it.

The entire family was gathered in the living room around the large tree, all laughing and passing wrapped presents to one another. Arthur had a small pile in front of him and he was so grateful that Denise and Joseph had accepted him so thoroughly into their family. He looked forward to all the Christmases that were in their future. He was excited to have a family again.

Alfred could hardly leave Arthur's side. Gilbert commented more than once how sickly sweet they were before Alfred stuck out his tongue at his friend and they both laughed. "You know," Arthur said quietly after a moment, squeezing Alfred's hand. "I never thought when I read your article that it would turn out like this."

"Me either," Alfred whispered, leaning over to press a kiss to Arthur's cheek.

A small electronic ping sounded on Arthur's phone and he pulled away to glance down at it. His face broke into a huge grin and he turned to Alfred. "My royalty check came through," he announced happily. "I guess that means you don't have to pay me anymore."

"That's good," Alfred leaned forward and nuzzled his fiancée. "I didn't want to have people talking about how I hired my boyfriend forever."

"You better get used to saying 'husband' after tomorrow, love," Arthur smiled softly at Alfred.

"I think I can do that," Alfred promised. "I love you so much Arthur."

"And I love you too," Arthur kissed him fiercely as Gilbert hollered encouragement at them from the corner of the room. They smiled as they broke apart, their eyes never leaving each other's.

"Merry Christmas Artie."

"Happy Christmas Alfred."

* * *


End file.
